February 14, 2024

 

Domestically bred broilers keep China on path of self-sufficiency

For the past nearly 40 years, China imported all of its white-feather broiler breeders.

 

However, in 2012, Beijing WOD Cheng-Long, with the help of its subsidiary, Yukou Poultry, conducted research in the field of white feather broiler breeders. The company successfully bred four new species of the WOD series.

 

WOD Co. Ltd. was established in late 2015, with its investments directed to biotechnology. Now a major poultry breeding company internationally, WOD holds a cumulative 63% stake in Yukou Poultry through its four capital management companies.

 

In addition to WOD, Guangdong Xingguang Nongmu and Fujian Sunner have also produced their breeds of white feather broiler. The Chinese province of Guangdong has been developing its breed since 2010, with the collective help of Xinguang Agriculture and Animal Husbandry and the scientific research units of South China Agricultural University conducting research. In 2011, Fujian Sunner hired a technical team that participated in the breeding of China's first breed of white feather broiler.

 

On December 1, 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China issued an announcement, approving the first batch production of three local breeds of white feather broilers — namely Sunnzer 901 (by Sunner), Guangming No. 2 (by Xinguang) and WOD 188. With this milestone, China reduced its dependence on the import of white feather broiler breeders.

 

Statistics from the China Animal Husbandry Association showed that China added 963,000 sets of grandparent stock (GPS) white feather breeders, a 20% drop compared with 2021 and the lowest in history. This happened as the structure of the Chinese GPS breeder market changed significantly, with local breeders cutting into the market shares of foreign breeders. Furthermore, the import of foreign breeders dropped sharply to 343,000 sets.

 

In 2021, 313,000 sets of local broiler breeders were added, and these include 194,000 sets of Sunnzer 901, 63,000 sets of Guangming No 2 and 56,000 sets of WOD 188.

 

In yet another milestone, China last June exported WOD188 to Tanzania, along with 15,500 birds of the Chinese layer breed, Jinghong No. 1 — the first time the country exported its breed of white feather broilers and layers.

 

Yukou Poultry Industry also revealed that the company was in discussion with other countries, including Ghana, Malaysia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Laos, to export its broiler breeders.

 

- David Lin, eFeedLink