January 22, 2025

China aims to save more grain in livestock production

China seeks to implement grain-saving actions in the country's livestock industry to improve efficiency and save grain, according to its Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

The actions are also intended to increase sources, optimise structure, strengthen scientific and technological support, and improve feed conversion rate, resource utilisation rate, and overall output efficiency of the livestock industry.

China seeks to promote low-protein diet technology and reduce dependence on soybean meal by changing the feed formulation technology route. Adding an appropriate amount of balanced synthetic amino acids to feed can theoretically reduce the use of soybean meal and other feed grains by 20 million tonnes without increasing the cost of pig and poultry feed.

China will also use open-source substitution to maximise the use of domestic available protein resources. According to a survey, some domestic animal-derived raw materials and unconventional protein resources have not been fully exploited and utilised. These resources are processed and used as feed in a standardised manner to increase the supply of protein feed raw materials and can replace soybean meal and other feed grains by up to 14 million tonnes.

Another measure is to promote grass instead of grain to improve the food output efficiency of existing agricultural resources. Drawing on the experience of developed countries, China will vigorously cultivate and promote high-quality and high-yield forage varieties, fully take advantage of saline-alkali land and other land resources for growing grass, actively carry out grain-feed rotation, and increase the supply of forage for cattle and sheep breeding, its agriculture ministry said. In theory, this can reduce the use of feed grain by more than 14 million tonnes.

- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (China)