China’s Beef Herd Swells to 90 Million as Wetter North and Tariffs Spur Self-Reliance
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 30
China’s Beef Herd Swells to 90 Million as Wetter North and Tariffs Spur Self-Reliance
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 30
Summary
Nearly 90 million head of beef cattle are now in China’s herd, up by one-third since 2018, with Beijing using the expansion to cut reliance on imports.
Tongliao in Inner Mongolia has become a center of that growth after decades of land conversion and wetter summers turned formerly arid areas into grassland, cornfields and forest; the region now has nearly 4 million cattle.
China is already the world’s third-largest beef producer, and its push matters globally because it is also the biggest beef importer, buying about two-thirds of Argentina’s exports and large shares from Australia, Brazil and the United States.
Rainier conditions in northern China could reshape the $500 billion global beef trade if stronger domestic output reduces demand from the market that has anchored exporters’ sales.