China has become the largest buyer of Russian beef, according to the quarterly report of the Center for Industry Expertise (CIE) of the Russia’s Rosselkhozbank on the state of the meat market in Russia. At the end of the first quarter of 2021, beef supplies to China increased 20 times, and the country's share in the total volume of Russian exports of this type of meat exceeded 55%. The three leading importers of domestic beef also included Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan.

According to the results of the first three months of this year, China topped the list of the largest importers of Russian beef, surpassing the leader of last year's ranking Vietnam. The volume of supplies to the largest Asian market increased more than 20 times year-on-year from 179 tons in January-March 2020 to 3.66 thousand tons in 2021. Export of domestic beef in the same period increased 2.5 times from 2.6 thousand tons in the first quarter of 2020 to 6.5 thousand tons in 2021.

“The need to compensate for the drop in domestic pork production due to the outbreak of African swine fever in 2018–2019 opened up the Chinese market for foreign meat producers,” explains Andrey Dalnov, head of the Rosselkhozbank's Center for Industry Expertise.

So, according to experts, in 2019-2020, China multiplied its meat imports to the country: beef supplies to the domestic market doubled compared to 2018, poultry meat imports increased 3 times - up to 1.5 million tons, and pork in 2.6 times - up to 5.7 million tons.

“The high rates of export growth in the first quarter of this year are explained by both the low base effect and the competitive price, which makes Russian beef popular among Chinese consumers,” adds Andrey Dalnov.

According to the CIE, both inexpensive boneless meat and premium beef are in demand in the Chinese market.

Read more on: Rosselkhozbank