In the face of lower prices and abundant pork production, the key to higher prices is increased demand, experts said last week.

One clear avenue is increased exports, said Brett Stuart, an ec­­onomist at Global AgriTrends. Exports, he said, have accounted for 22 percent of total U.S. pork production over the last five years.

"In 2015 alone, exports of pork and pork products totaled over $5 billion," Stuart said. Exports add about $47 per head to the market value, he added.

Top export markets include...