China's broiler meat production in 2009 is expected to surge by 13.7 million tonnes- an eight percent increase over the 2008 estimate of 12.7 million tonnes, report from the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agriculture Service shows.
In China, broiler meat is an important substitute for pork, as it is the second highest ranking most consumed red meat with the least expensive price tag.
However the price of feed grains remains a major determinant for China's broiler industry in 2009. From January-June 2008, China's retail broiler feed prices increased 23 percent to RMB2,730 (currently about US$420) per tonne over the same period in 2007. International grain and soy prices are expected to remain at high levels at least until the end of 2008.
China relies heavily on imports of soy and soymeal products for feed production. This heavy dependence on imports, combined with overall price increases in oil, energy, water, and labour supplies domestically, may drag down China's domestic poultry production.
For the full USDA report, please click here