Source: Andre Sulluchuco, MEATINGPLACE, 6/10/14
 
Mexican pork prices have increased by 30 percent due to the recent porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) outbreak in the country, according to the Mexico Federal Attorney's Office for Consumers. 
Spanish-language El Financiero newspaper reports that pork-focused restaurants throughout Mexico have increased their meal prices by at least 10 percent, an action also taken by food trucks and smaller-sized eateries selling pork products. A kilogram (2.2 pounds) of carnitas, or braised pork, already goes for $27 and pork tacos go for $1.45, the newspaper added.

“We regularly sell around 30 to 35 pounds of pork meat,” said Rogelio Mena, meat distributor in Mexico City to El Financiero. “But this past weekend, we barely reached 22 pounds because of the [pork] meat price increase.” 

The price adjustments have mostly affected consumers in the southeastern part of Mexico where annual pork consumption per capita is now at 10.5 pounds per person.  

?Mexico has increased its pork production by 3.38 percent from 2010 to 2013 and by 2014 the country expects an increase of 4.1 percent.

Mexican pork exports reached 86,294 tons in 2013, a 3 percent increase over the previous year. These mostly come from federally inspected pork plants located in the states of Sonora Yucatán, Coahuila, Jalisco, Baja California and Chihuahua. Japan is the top importer of Mexican pork which, in 2013, imported 66,575 tons, followed by South Korea with 8,276 tons and the United States with 6,229 tons.

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