China’s Headlong Rush into Hog Farms Sparks Boom-Bust Fears

  • Highest pork price ever has lured cement maker and state funds
  • One company is constructing 17-storey buildings to breed hogs
Photographer: Gilles Sabrie/Bloomberg
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Investing in Chinese hog farms may never have been so profitable, and that’s spurred fears that the boom may soon turn into a bust.

Record pork prices mean that breeders are potentially enjoying their highest returns ever, and that’s attracted many different kinds of investors to the industry, from a cement maker to state funds and banks, in addition to the ongoing expansion by traditional hog-farming companies.