BEIJING — Pork prices in China will continue to rise due to tight supply and the African swine fever, said analysts.

The average wholesale price of pork climbed 29.8 percent year-on-year to 21.59 yuan (about $3.1) per kg in June, mainly because of the influence of the African swine fever, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA).

Affected by the African swine fever, breeding enterprises invested more in monitoring and prevention of swine fever, leading to rises in pork prices, said Zhu Danpeng, an analyst in the food industry.

The country reported its first case of African swine fever in August 2018 in the northeastern province of Liaoning. Later outbreaks were reported in several other provincial regions.

From July 22 to 26, unprocessed lean pork was sold at 25.34 yuan per kilo on average in 16 provinces and regions, up 43.1 percent year-on-year, according to joint monitoring by MARA and a third-party platform.