China to significantly reduce dependence on imports of breeding cattle by 2027

By 2027, the livestock industry of the PRC will significantly reduce the country's dependence on the purchase of pedigree cattle abroad and increase the reliability of the supply of domestically produced beef. This was announced on August 11 by Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences ( ACSC) Liu Xianwu.

“According to the forecast, by 2027, the PRC will be able to independently control key genetic resources in the field of cattle breeding and ensure reliable supplies,” the CHINA Daily newspaper quoted the expert as saying.

According to him, more than 270 national poultry and livestock companies are working on the implementation of the relevant tasks. The key strategic role in the breeding of thoroughbred bulls, as specified, is played by seven research and production associations of China.

According to the academy, recently scientists from the Institute of Animal Husbandry under the ASNC have bred a new variety of cattle in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia (north of the country). it is called Huaxi and is expected to make the PRC much less dependent on imports of individuals intended to steadily increase the population of these animals.

Liu Xianwu noted that agricultural enterprises in China began to breed cattle on an industrial scale relatively recently and it was inferior in quality to imported counterparts. However, over the past few decades, the country has made obvious progress in this direction.

According to official statistics, in 2021, China purchased 2.3 million tons of beef from abroad - about a quarter of the total volume of this type of MEAT consumed by the country's population. It is expected that by 2025 there will be at least 400 breeding bulls of the new Huaxi breed in China, which will significantly increase the supply in the domestic market.