China says can secure sufficient pork for upcoming holidays

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will secure sufficient pork supplies for the upcoming holidays, including the Lunar New Year festival in late January, said an official with the state planner on Wednesday.

The comments by Peng Shaozong, a manager at the pricing department at the National Development and Reform Commission, come after the country's pig herd shrank by a third following a severe outbreak of deadly African swine fever, raising concerns about a pork shortage ahead of important holidays.

Peng told reporters at a briefing that the government is studying plans to release pork from state reserves for the holiday period.

(Reporting by Hallie Gu and Shivani Singh. Writing by Dominique Patton. Editing by Louise Heavens)