
TOKYO -- Corn prices have risen substantially over the past year as China's pork industry rebounds from an outbreak of African swine fever that had forced farmers to cull much of their pig herds.
Corn futures on the Chicago Board of Trade recently hovered above $5 a bushel. While the price is down over 30% from a peak in early May, when unusual weather in the U.S. had raised concerns about a poor harvest, it is still about 30% higher than a year earlier.