SHANGHAI (REUTERS) - China confirmed outbreaks of African swine fever in its key pork producing provinces of Sichuan and Hubei, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement on Saturday (March 6).

The cases were detected in Aba prefecture in the south-western province of Sichuan, and the city of Xiangyang in the central province of Hubei.

The outbreak killed 38 pigs on a farm of 127 hogs in Sichuan, China's largest-producing province.

In Hubei, the disease was detected on a truck of piglets being transported illegally from another province.

Of 165 piglets, 10 were infected, and five had died.

China is the world's top pork producer and consumer.

A large outbreak of African swine fever wiped out about half of the country's herd in 2019, a year after it reached the country.

China also reported an outbreak earlier this week in the south-western province of Yunnan.