Meat food market is currently in a decentralized model of competition due to the low concentration ratio in the market. It is estimated by Ministry of Agriculture of the PRC that meat food demand will reach 100 million tons in 2020, while the production volume can only realize 90 million tons, leaving a gap of 10 million tons to be bridged by import.
Future competition pattern of beef market: a beef market competition pattern centered in Henan, Shandong, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Xinjiang, Sichuan and Yunnan will emerge in the future. Production volume of the 10 provinces referred to above is expected to take over 85% of the market proportion, and more than 50% will be contributed by Henan, Shandong, Hebei and Inner Mongolia.
- Fresh and chilled beef (kilogram)
Forecast on Import and Export Volume of Fresh and Chilled Beef in China, 2017-2021
| Year | Export Volume (kg) | Import Volume (kg) |
| 2017 | 131,170 | 2,652,841 |
| 2018 | 146,510 | 3,152,858 |
| 2019 | 158,680 | 3,112,548 |
| 2020 | 172,000 | 2,035,896 |
| 2021 | 184,000 | 3,355,863 |
Source: public data
- Frozen beef (kilogram)
Forecast on Import and Export volume of Frozen Beef in China, 2017-2021
| Year | Export Volume (kg) | Import Volume (kg) |
| 2017 | 4,088,254 | 580,052,358 |
| 2018 | 4,768,954 | 463,412,842 |
| 2019 | 4,915,498 | 487,246,963 |
| 2020 | 5,528,254 | 400,095,523 |
| 2021 | 6,025,285 | 455,014,625 |
Source: public data
Reference:
Research Report on China Beef Market, 2017-2021
According to CRI, the legal import volume of beef in 2016 reached 579,800 tons, increasing by 22.4% compared to 2015, and the import value exceeded USD 2.5 billion.