The discount within the worth of beef makes some joyful and sad-Cell Dahe Community

On June 10, a buyer purchased meat merchandise in a grocery store in Zhengzhou. Picture by our reporter Deng Fang

□ Our reporter Li Yunhai

For a very long time, beef costs have been excessive and much forward amongst all varieties of meat. However the scenario has modified this yr, and beef costs have decreased, inflicting many farmers to complain.

Survey knowledge from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs present that as of June 5 this yr, the typical worth of beef within the nationwide agricultural wholesale market has dropped to 61.18 yuan per kilogram.

In actual fact, in Could this yr, the typical worth of beef has fallen to greater than 60 yuan per kilogram. The typical worth of beef within the nationwide agricultural wholesale market was 63.32 yuan per kilogram, a lower of 16.7% in comparison with the worth of a kilogram. 75.97 Yuan per kilogram in the identical interval final yr.

At present, beef costs are falling throughout the nation.

With diminished beef costs, can customers obtain “beef freedom”? What’s the purpose for the lower within the worth of beef? When will it finish? On this regard, the reporter interviewed sellers, farmers and related specialists.

　　Low contemporary beef costs

Cooked beef is dear

On June 9, a reporter on the farmers’ market on Changzhai Street, Jinshui District, Zhengzhou Metropolis noticed that the worth of contemporary beef was typically 60 yuan per kilogram. The worth of beef tendon offered in some retailers is 80 yuan per kilogram.

In a brand new meals grocery store on Jingyi Street, the worth of contemporary beef is 70 yuan per kilogram.

A stall proprietor who has been promoting beef for greater than 10 years mentioned: “In earlier years, the decline has not been as nice as this yr.”

Regardless of the official knowledge or the promoting worth in supermarkets and farmers’ markets, contemporary beef is definitely cheaper. Nevertheless, customers really feel that the worth of beef doesn’t appear to have been diminished, or that the worth discount will not be apparent.

Additionally on the farmer’s market on Changzhai Street, there’s a stall promoting cooked beef. The worth of cooked beef is 150 yuan per kilogram.

Did not the worth of beef go down? Why is cooked beef nonetheless so costly? The proprietor of the stall replied: “The worth has been diminished. This month it was 75 yuan per cat. Final month it was 78 yuan, a discount of three yuan.”

In a full-meat restaurant in Zhengdong New District, the worth of cooked beef remains to be 160 yuan per kilogram and has not been diminished.

In accordance with common market worth knowledge printed by the Nationwide Bureau of Statistics, beef costs continued to rise from 2014 to 2024, reaching a peak in 2022 after which started to fall. In 2014, the home beef worth was 61.39 yuan per kilogram, and within the first 4 months of 2024, the typical home beef worth was 76.14 yuan per kilogram.

Subsequently, regardless of worth cuts, home beef costs are nonetheless excessive in comparison with pork costs, which is why customers really feel that beef costs haven’t fallen. Below this situation, a lower within the worth of beef has not produced “beef freedom”, nor has it stimulated a major enhance in beef consumption.

　Somebody panics and sells cattle

Somebody buys cattle on the backside

Shoppers don’t really feel significantly robust concerning the discount within the worth of beef, however farmers really feel that the “chilly winter”.

Zhang Jiansong from Yudian Village, Weigang City, Huangchuan County, is a widely known native livestock farmer with greater than 700 beef cattle at his disposal. Speaking concerning the market scenario this yr, he sighed once more: “You need to pay three to 4 thousand Yuan to promote a cow, however at the moment final yr, you possibly can pay three to earn 4 thousand Yuan for promoting a cow. The hole is absolutely massive.”

Zhang Jiansong normally breeds fats cattle. He offered all of the cows he raised earlier than the Spring Pageant, and afterwards he purchased many calves at a worth of about 10,000 yuan every.

Firstly, the worth to purchase stay cattle was about 36 yuan per kilogram. Now, a while in the past it was 16 yuan to 18 yuan per kilogram, and nowadays it’s 22 yuan to 24 yuan per kilogram. I’ve held it for a number of months and now I’m promoting it for a loss however no revenue.

Can I proceed to construct them with out promoting them? When a cow is mature, she is not going to develop taller if raised.

What about promoting meat? Zhang Jiansong mentioned that the losses could be diminished. However that is the low season for beef consumption, and there may be not a lot meat gross sales in any case We will solely promote stay cattle with tears.

Zhang Jiansong’s sentiments are shared by many beef cattle farmers. This time the worth of beef has fallen, and the costs of feeder cattle and stay cattle have fallen to all-time low. One farmer mentioned: “There may be an excessive amount of beef at a low worth in the intervening time, and fodder is dear too. The onerous work of elevating cattle is worse than going to work.”

Small farmers are promoting cattle, however some giant farmers are bucking the pattern and shopping for on the backside.

Chen Gongbin is from Liangting City, Guangshan County. He engages in inexperienced round agriculture, interplanting Chinese language medicinals and grazing in Camellia oleifera. He mentioned: “Though the worth of stay cattle has fallen considerably, it doesn’t lose cash. First, the cattle can be fed with out meals, and they are going to be fed with grass grown by themselves, so the price may be very low; secondly, they’re doing round agriculture and contemplating the great advantages, not solely on the worth of stay cattle, but in addition on the power to resist dangers. “

In Could this yr, Chen Gongbin purchased 370 calves and cows in Northeast China at a worth of 12 to 14 yuan per kilogram. I’ll go to Northeast China quickly to purchase extra. He mentioned: “You can not lose cash shopping for calves and cattle at this low degree. Sooner or later, the worth of beef and stay cattle will go decrease.”

On this regard, Zhang Zhen, a number one professional on the regional dairy business expertise system and deputy director of the Regional Seed Business Improvement Middle, believes that the market is sort of a massive wave, and the discount in beef costs will destroy to a gaggle of farmers. excessive feed prices and in depth administration, forcing enterprises to vary their breeding fashions and develop inexperienced round agriculture. Subsequently, farmers ought to use extra forage, corn silage and different feeds to realize “straw to meat”. On the similar time, feed extra cows and cut back prices. For those who simply depend on shopping for calves for fattening from Xinjiang, Interior Mongolia and different locations, the price can be excessive and the advantages can be poor. At present, our province is researching the genetic growth of beef cattle which are extra appropriate for the agricultural areas of the Central Plains, and breeding beef cattle which are extra fit to be eaten native straw in Henan.

　The draw back is proscribed

Excessive costs are onerous to come back again from

Why are beef costs nonetheless falling? Zhang Zhen believes that the connection between provide and demand has modified.

Traditionally, beef was not an on a regular basis shopper product in our nation. When it comes to legal guidelines and insurance policies, cattle have lengthy been thought of an necessary manufacturing software for farmland, and protecting measures have been taken to guard farm cattle. After the reform and opening up, with financial growth and dietary diversification, beef turned particularly in style within the final 10 years, pork consumption has decreased and beef demand has elevated. year-on-year enhance in imports and rising home beef costs.

Nevertheless, the provision and demand relationship started to endure vital adjustments final yr, and provide was comparatively extreme. First, the worth of imported beef is low, which impacts the home market, particularly beef from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, with costs increased than the height . Second, home beef manufacturing is rising quickly. As the brink for breeding beef cattle is low, varied components of the nation have inspired and supported the breeding of beef cattle, encouraging a rise within the variety of slaughter . Thirdly, some farmers panicked by abandoning and killing animals and pricing them primarily based on meat. On the similar time, as milk costs proceed to lower, some dairy farmers have been eradicated and killed.

Knowledge launched by the Cattle Business Department of the China Animal Husbandry Affiliation exhibits that nationwide beef manufacturing can be 7.53 million tons in 2023, a year-on-year enhance of 4.8%. In 2020, this knowledge was 6.72 million tons. As well as, China imported 2.74 million tons of beef from overseas final yr, a year-on-year enhance of two%. Within the first quarter of 2024, China’s beef and beef imports had been 790,000 tons, a year-on-year enhance of 18.9%.

Professor Niu Hui, assistant dean of the Faculty of Animal Science and Know-how on the College of Animal Husbandry Economics, believes that there’s little room for beef costs to lower sooner or later and {that a} rebound is unlikely there, and beef cattle breeding has entered an period of “scarce income”. He mentioned: “As a result of the price of elevating cattle is there and the worth of meat is just too low, farmers will increase fewer or no cattle, and the worth will naturally come again.”

In comparison with elevating pigs, the cycle of elevating cattle is longer. On common, a cow can solely give delivery to at least one calf in a yr. After delivery, the calf have to be raised for 18 to twenty months earlier than being put available on the market. Niu Hui predicts that it could take longer to regulate manufacturing capability earlier than beef costs cease falling and get well.

In accordance with a report from the Cattle Business Department of the China Animal Husbandry Affiliation, primarily based on the present home financial and social scenario and the present “cattle cycle”, the cattle market is more likely to stay home beef in 2024 at a low degree. .

Editor: Ren Yuyan