Bangkok: The Chinese New Year market is bustling, with businesses focusing on making "roasted suckling pig" to utilize surplus produce from the market. The pork market is bustling ahead of Chinese New Year. The Thai Swine Breeders Association is aggressively producing "roasted suckling pig" to absorb surplus production, aiming for 50,000 pigs per month. They are also pushing for the first export shipment of roasted suckling pig to Malaysia, helping farmers avoid losses.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Sittiphan Thanakiattiphinyo, President of the National Swine Breeders Association, stated that pork prices are currently stabilizing and showing signs of improvement. This is a result of the association's request for cooperation from members, especially large farms with 2,000 or more breeding sows, to implement a price stabilization project by diverting pigs from these farms to produce roasted suckling pigs. Initially, the target is 50,000 pigs per month for six months, which is expected to absorb 300,000 surplus pigs.
Simultaneously, Thailand has expanded its export markets, a success resulting from negotiations between the Department of Livestock Development and Malaysia, which led to the opening of their market. Details regarding the first shipment of pork halves to Malaysia will be finalized next week, with subsequent exports to follow.
In addition, the association has collaborated with the Ministry of Commerce on projects to stimulate domestic consumption during the Chinese New Year and Songkran festivals, by distributing pork through the government-subsidized "Blue Flag" program to various areas throughout the country.
Regarding strategies to stabilize pork prices, the association, major producers, and the government held a joint meeting on January 26, 2026, to discuss ways to maintain farm-gate pork prices. This aims to address the problem of farmers selling below their production costs, given the relatively stable pork prices in the early part of the year. Furthermore, production is expected to increase from 23.49 million pigs per year in 2025 to 24.29 million pigs per year in 2026. Therefore, strategies are needed to stabilize prices and ensure farmers can maintain their livelihoods.