China’s chicken meat production is forecast to increase to approximately 15.8 million metric tons (MMT) in 2020. Higher prices for pork products have driven consumers to seek other proteins, mainly chicken meat. This has led to expanded chicken production in both the white-feather and yellow-feather chicken sectors.
Chicken meat consumption is forecast to increase to 15.96 MMT in 2020, an increase of approximately 15 percent from 2019 due to shifts in consumption from pork products to poultry amid declines in pork production and rising prices. Consumption from domestic pork products to chicken meat have been most prevalent among Chinese institutional entities (educational and state facilities), hotel and restaurant institutions, and the food processing sector. Follow the link to read USDA’s GAIN report.
China’s chicken meat imports will increase to 600,000 MT in 2020, an increase of about 20 percent from 2019. China’s strong chicken demand will continue to drive imports, led by Brazil among others, albeit at a slower rate. In addition, China lifted its import ban on chicken and chicken products from France adding another supplier, however this will have more significance on imports of genetic material and less on chicken meat. U.S. poultry and poultry products have not had market access since 2014.
Chinese chicken meat exports are expected to remain flat at 440,000 MT in 2020. Higher domestic chicken prices will make chicken meat exports less competitive. However, China will continue to ship to Hong Kong and Japan given the high profitability of these markets. Hong Kong and Japan account for approximately 78 percent of China’s chicken meat exports.
