Researchers in Rabobank have estimated that it will take at least four months for Chinese production of agriculture goods and services return to normal in the wake of the coronavirus.

Fertiliser production and dairy and animal protein will all be impacted, according to research carried out by the group.

The province of Hubei, of which Wuhan is the provincial capital, accounts for 30% of phosphate manufacturing in China and has seen production drop by almost 40% since the disease outbreak.

Phosphate is a finite resource and China is the second largest producer of the form of fertiliser in the world.

Dairy

Due to the knock-on effect on restaurants and the food trade, Rabobank expect sales of dairy products to drop by 26% and imports to also drop by 26%.

Chinese processors are still collecting milk from Chinese farmers but as the demand for fresh milk has dropped they are switching to products with a longer shelf-life such as UHT milk and powder.

Hubei is the fifth largest hog producer in China and production is expected to slow, with Rabobank expecting Chinese imports of American soya beans for animal feed to be reduced.

Dairy bosses in Ireland have warned that the ripple effect of the virus on the global economy still remains to be seen.

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