July 10, 2025

China's layer farming shifts to its south

China's layer industry has long adhered to the model of production in the country's north and "consumption in the south".

In 2015, egg production in the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Liaoning, and Jiangsu accounted for over 50% of China's national total. The self-sufficiency rates of southern provinces like Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Fujian were below 30%, hence the dependence on the northern provinces for egg supply.

By the end of 2024, Hubei province in central China had 154 million laying hens, representing over 10% of the national market. Hunan's layer stock surpassed 50 million birds and Anhui's reached over 70 million; Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Fujian recorded layer stocks of 30 million, 20 million, and 17 million birds, respectively. The combined layer inventory of the three southern provinces exceeded 30 million, and that of the five provinces in the southwest surpassed 110 million. Out of a national total of 1.32 billion laying hens, central and southern regions account for 481 million birds or 36.44%.

This trend is set to continue. Stimulated by profitability over the past four years, 2024 saw the signing of 24 new layer projects in China, with 51 under construction and 41 partially or fully operational. These projects represent a planned production capacity of 198 million laying hens. Central and southern China are leading this expansion: in 2024, 29 new layer farms were established in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hunan, with a combined capacity of 44.57 million birds.
 

Guangxi topped the list with 17 new layer farms with a combined capacity of 26.76 million birds. Hunan followed with nine projects and 14.9 million birds in capacity.

Guangxi has emerged as a key layer hub in southern China, with a planned, cumulative capacity of 51.83 million birds over the past five years. In the southwest, Leshan City, Sichuan, positions itself as a layer farming leader in the province, aiming to add seven large-scale farms over the next four years, with a combined capacity exceeding 20 million hens. The southern expansion is driven not only by profitability but also by modern breeding technologies, which allow for large-scale poultry farming in the south.

As layer production capacity continues to expand in the south, the supply gap between the northern and southern regions is expected to narrow. The Chinese south could eventually surpass the north in layer numbers, fundamentally transforming the regional dynamics of the industry.

About EFL AG-DATA

EFL AG-DATA is a startup incubated by Singapore's Nanyang Technological University's Innovation and Enterprise Company (NTUitive) Incubator Program. It is developing an agricultural hub that will revolutionize the feed-to-meat supply chain in China and Southeast Asia countries through data-driven solutions. EFL's mission is to empower farms through innovative data-based services that solve complex problems and enhance productivity.

- EFL AG-DATA