Supplies of meat, eggs and milk are guaranteed this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Chen Guanghua, deputy director of the ministry's Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Bureau, said production of meat and milk is expected to reach a high, with output of eggs remaining stable.

"There will be sufficient supplies during the New Year and Spring Festival holidays," Chen said.

Some 39.17 million tons of pork was produced in China in the first three quarters of this year, a year-on-year rise of 38 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

With pig production fully recovering in the second quarter, the average price of these animals for slaughter dropped below the cost line from June to September. The price rebounded a little in the last quarter－the peak season for pork consumption.

On Wednesday, the average price for live pigs nationwide was 16.04 yuan ($2.50) per kilogram, alleviating breeders' losses, Chen said.

He added that as the number of pigs for slaughter will rise until the first quarter of next year, the nationwide pork oversupply will continue for a while.

Stocks of reproductive sows, which are still 6 percent higher than normal, will not return to a "reasonable level" until early next year, Chen said.

"I hope everyone buys and eats more pork. This will not only enrich people's nutrition, but also alleviate farmers' difficulties," he said.

Chen also asked farmers not to blindly reduce the number of animals for slaughter based on the current rise in pig prices, or to rush to expand production capacity, in case there are bigger losses.

Egg prices have fluctuated by about 9 yuan per kg, but supplies are assured, as producers can quickly adjust the output of laying hens.

Li Shumin, an official with the ministry's Bureau of Fisheries, said that as the world's largest producer and trading country for aquatic products, China's production capacity is stable.

In the first three quarters, the market volume for such products reached 5.67 million tons, up by 10.5 percent from the previous year, the ministry said.

Prices of freshwater fish, which peaked in May, have gradually fallen since August. Li said that with more such fish going to market, and the ending of a fishing moratorium in various places, prices are expected to continue dropping.