Pig Fly Out of Markets for Chinese Ceremony

http://www.dap-news.com

Written by DAP NEWS
Friday, 04 September 2009

A Chinese celebration held in Cambodia on Thursday needed five tons of pork.

Cambodian-Chinese and Chinese immigrants both were very busy preparing food for their ancestors as the Chinese ceremony dictates.

“Today, I have 5,000 pigs to be sold, but we usually sell only about 3,000 normally,” a pork vendor told DAP News Cambodia on Thursday.

Srun Pov of the Cambodian Pig Farmers Group said that only businessmen benefit from the Chinese ceremony while pig farmers “do not gain benefits this season.” “Many pigs are exported from Thailand and Vietnam which disheartens us.” One housewife said pork vendors did brisk trade in the capital’s markets.

“I saw a crowd of people buy pig meat in markets,” Yan Lin told DAP News Cambodia on Thursday. Cambodian Government officials allowed the import of 800 pigs, but Srun Pov claimed there were clearly many more pigs imported.

“Careful pig checking is not implemented by the officials so it can affect human health,” he added.

Kao Phal, a health ministry official, could not be reached on Thursday to comment on these allegations.

Many complained of perceived price gouging, with a 5kg pig fetching the nearly US$60.