BEIJING — Chinese authorities have stepped up efforts to restore hog production and cope with African swine fever in a bid to stabilize the supply of the country's staple meat.

Inspection groups were dispatched to key provinces including Jiangsu and Zhejiang to ensure that policies aiming to facilitate hog production and contain African swine fever were implemented, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a report posted on its website.

Relevant provinces were urged to prioritize hog production recovery, stabilize the production of poultry and livestock, and put in place measures that have been proved effective in preventing and controlling African swine fever.

Problems discovered during the inspection were addressed in a timely manner with targeted measures, the ministry said.

China released in 2019 a three-year action plan to stabilize hog production, pledging to basically restore its hog production capacity to normal levels by the end of 2020.