The list of enterprises for the supply of beef to China has been expanded

The largest buyer of Russian beef is CHINA , the country with the highest and growing import demand for this type of MEAT . In 2022, China's total beef imports from foreign countries exceeded $18 billion, up 42% from 2021 and 5.7 times the 2017 level, according to ITC Trade Map. In physical volume, according to the US Department of Agriculture , for the period from 2019 to 2022, the Celestial Empire increased the import of beef from 2.2 million tons to 3.5 million tons. According to the FAO, beef consumption in China has increased by 50% over the past decade, by 2031 the figure will increase by another 10%.

Since the opening of China to Russian beef suppliers in early 2020, both the volume of supplies and the importance of this market for domestic enterprises have increased. In 2022, China accounted for 59% of the value of Russian beef exports, according to the results of January-April 2023 - 69%.

Until recently, only 2 Russian companies were certified for deliveries to China. In May 2023, another enterprise, Lipetsk Meat, gained access to the Chinese market.

“The process of attesting the slaughterhouse to the requirements of the GTU of the PRC took us more than a year,” Sergey Oganov, general DIRECTOR of the company, told Agroexport. “We not only had to make adjustments to the production cycle, but also improve the quality control system and train the staff.” 

At the end of May, Lipetsk Meat signed an agreement of intent with a large state-owned Chinese company. At the first stage, the parties agreed to supply the Asian country with more than 40 types of products (frozen beef cuts and offal) produced at the Lipetsk site.

The first containers with Lipetsk beef will go to China in June. In 2023, Lipetsk Meat plans to supply China mainly with products for b2b channels - wholesalers, processors and the HoReCa sector, however, work has already begun on the development of several SKUs that will be presented in retail in consumer packaging - under a joint Russian-Chinese brand. In addition, in addition to trade cooperation, the Chinese partners are considering investment opportunities in expanding the production capacity of the Lipetsk site, feed production and genetics.

The Chinese market has a huge volume of demand, which will only grow over time and which will not be able to satisfy its own producers, Oganov notes. From this point of view, RUSSIA is among the few countries that have every opportunity to develop the production and EXPORT of cattle meat , including to China. In addition to the high quality of Russian products, domestic enterprises have another advantage - the possibility of deliveries by rail. “At the moment, Lipetsk Meat is working on an accelerated delivery route, which will take just over two weeks,” Oganov added.