February 20, 2004

Animal Husbandry Booming in China's Heilongjiang Province

Animal husbandry industry is seen booming in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, said an official with the provincial agricultural department.

Heilongjiang abounds in dairy resources, having ideal conditions for expanding its dairy industry, said the official. As the key dairy production base, it boasts the country's biggest fresh milk production and dairies processing industry.

In 2003, Heilongjiang's gross livestock breeding output value amounted to 29.4 billion yuan (about US$3.5 billion), an increase of 15.3 per cent over the previous year.

This year, the province will continue to focus on the growth of dairies sector and beef processing industry, the official said.

According to the plan for development of Heilongjiang's animal husbandry, the province's gross animal husbandry output value is expected to reach 39 billion yuan (about US$4.7 billion) in 2005, accounting for 42 per cent of the province's agricultural output value. This will mean that one quarter of local farmers' net annual income, or 650 yuan (about US$78.60), will come from animal husbandry.