DOES POPULATION AGING INCREASE PORK TRADE IN ASIA

This paper estimates the impact of population aging on bilateral pork trade between 32 Asian countries (regions) by using a gravity model that incorporates old-age dependency ratio variables. The Poisson pseudo-maximum-likelihood regression performs better than the ordinary least-squares method in the estimations. An aging labor force stimulates pork exports because it reduces pork production costs by supplying the pork industry with low-wage older laborers. An aging consumer-based economy increases pork imports because older consumers usually have higher incomes. Population aging has both a time characteristic and a country characteristic on pork trade in Asia. Increasing birth rates and reforming the pork industry from the supply side are two feasible policy recommendations for aging Asian countries (regions).