Demand in the Chinese market for chicken will grow by around 3 per cent in 2003, fuelled by low feed prices and a continuing switch from pork to chicken, according to a report in Poultry Global magazine. Production of other poultry, primarily ducks and geese, is likely to expand even more quickly.
However China's imports of chicken meat, principally offal, were 20 per cent lower in 2002 than in 2001 and 30 per cent lower than in 2000. The decline was attributed to the difficulties importers face in obtaining quarantine import inspection permits, and an 'automatic' registration required by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation. The magazine concluded that imports were unlikely to increase significantly in 2003.
Tsingtao considers overseas expansion Tsingtao, China's largest brewery group, plans to produce 370,000 hectolitres of beer this year, up from the 300,000 hectolitres in 2002, South China Morning Post said. Total sales in 2003 are projected to reach Yn8.5bn, against Yn6bn in 2002 and Yn4.7bn in 2001. The company exported around 6,000 hectolitres of beer in 2002, of which half went to Taiwan and around one-sixth to Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore.
The company wants to expand its overseas markets by setting up breweries abroad. Last September it agreed to invest in a brewery in Taiwan and it is in negotiations with another in southeast Asia. It is also actively studying the South African market, currently dominated by SABMiller, formed when South African Breweries acquired US-based Miller. SABMiller is active in China through a joint venture with Tsingtao's chief domestic rival, China Resources Beverage.
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