How is the production of millions of tons of beef achieved

This article is reprinted from: Economic Daily

□ Staff Reporter Yu Jian

The herd of cattle on the Wulan Maodu Grassland in Khorchin Right Banner, Xing’an League, Inner Mongolia. Photo by Yu Jian

In recent years, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has actively responded to the impact of imported beef, promoting the stabilization of the beef cattle industry to help build a major national agricultural and livestock product production base. Data shows that by 2025, the region’s beef cattle inventory will reach 8.734 million head, cattle slaughtered will total 5.947 million, and beef production will amount to 1.017 million tons, representing year-on-year increases of 12.7%, 12.8%, and 14.2%, respectively. All three key indicators have achieved double-digit growth, continuing to lead the country. Notably, the annual beef production has for the first time surpassed 1 million tons, an increase of 126,000 tons from the previous year, accounting for 57% of the national beef growth.

Wang Feng, a researcher at the Inner Mongolia Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, believes that the growth in beef production has solidified the foundation for stable domestic beef supply and enhanced overall resilience. The beef cattle industry in Inner Mongolia has formed a trend of steady capacity increase and quality improvement, filling gaps in consumer markets in North China, East China, and South China. Especially through production and marketing models such as “Northern cattle transported south, fresh meat imported into Guangdong,” a highly efficient domestic beef supply chain has been established, maintaining the basic market share of mid-to-high-end beef domestically.

Technology empowers improvements in breeding quality and efficiency

At the China Agricultural Xing’an National Breeding Bull Station in Khorchin Right Banner, Xing’an League (hereinafter referred to as “Khorchin Right Banner”), modern semen collection, testing, and packaging equipment operate at high speed. “Our annual semen collection reaches 5.8 million doses, not only meeting local beef cattle improvement needs but also selling to surrounding leagues and cities,” said Yin Xusheng, Technical Director of Inner Mongolia Zhongnong Xing’an Breeding Bull Technology Co., Ltd.

Bahu Gejiletu, a researcher at the Livestock Technology Department of the Inner Mongolia Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Technology Promotion Center, believes that one of the key reasons for the significant increase in beef production in Inner Mongolia is persistent efforts in sourcing high-quality breeding stock and continuously improving per-head yield.

Liu Jinshan, a breeder in Jilihua Gacha, Daqin Tara Sumu, Khorchin Right Banner, is a beneficiary of technological empowerment. “In 2015, my family had 8 local cattle, earning just over 1,000 yuan per head,” Liu said. “Since the banner promoted high-quality beef cattle improvement techniques, I introduced Simmental cattle, carried out semen improvement, and now have 120 cattle on hand. Last year alone, I sold 64, with a net profit of 160,000 yuan.”

In Maodao Tusu Sumu, Horqin Left Banner, Tongliao City (hereinafter “Kexu Houqi”), veterinarians regularly visit farms to vaccinate cattle and sheep. “With professional services, breeding risks are greatly reduced,” said breeder Bai Yin Uliqi. By 2025, the banner has immunized 3.3354 million cattle and sheep, achieving 100% immunization coverage. Additionally, through breeding insurance and subsidy programs, electronic ear tags have been placed on cattle, creating a “one cow, one file” management system for 125,600 high-quality breeding cows. Furthermore, 15 training sessions have been organized, distributing over 1,000 copies of the “Practical Technical Operations Guide for Beef Cattle Breeding,” promoting a shift from experience-based to standard-based breeding.

According to the Inner Mongolia Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, in 2025, the region will vigorously implement the “Million Beef Cattle Fattening” initiative, strengthen technical guidance, and improve breeding efficiency. Eighteen videos and case studies will be released, promoting 5.94 million doses of frozen semen, and subsidies totaling 8.99 million yuan will be provided to 23 beef cattle breeding entities. The number of fattened cattle slaughtered will reach 1.89 million, a 47% increase, driving the average beef yield per head in the region to 171 kg.

Wang Feng suggests that relevant authorities should accelerate the construction of a comprehensive data platform for the entire beef industry chain, enabling real-time monitoring of market trends, disease spread, and cost fluctuations, and achieving intelligent early warning and prompt response; increase the promotion of key technologies such as high-quality seed breeding, precise nutrition, and smart farms; optimize industry support policies, accurately match needs, and guide funds and technology toward core links.

Strengthening guarantees to solidify development foundation

Feed is fundamental to cattle raising. Khorchin Left Banner adheres to the principle of “growing for feeding,” promoting the cultivation of high-quality forage such as silage corn and alfalfa. The banner has 1.9 million mu of silage corn planting area, 88,000 mu of artificial forage preservation area, and a total annual forage storage of 6 million tons. Han Tao, president of the Khorchin Left Banner Ecological Civilization Promotion Association, said that since 2022, when they began experimental planting of alfalfa in Bayang Maodu Sumu, benefits have gradually become apparent.

Meanwhile, Khorchin Left Banner focuses on local ecological management challenges and industry development bottlenecks, organizing cadres and residents to learn from and investigate other regions’ sheep pasture planting industries. After multiple field surveys and demonstrations, they introduced the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ cultivated Zhongke sheep grass to this land.

Khorchin Right Banner adopts targeted policies and invests substantial funds to support the beef cattle industry. By 2025, a total of 23.9 million yuan will have been invested in expanding and improving the base herd of breeding cows, directly benefiting over a thousand households. The banner also actively promotes forage security systems, planting 80,000 mu of oats, producing 40,000 tons of forage annually, and implementing grain-to-forage projects, subsidizing the storage of 160,000 tons of high-quality forage, addressing the issues of high feed costs and shortages from the source.

“Through a coordinated model of ‘planting + storage + subsidies,’ the overall cost of beef cattle farming in the banner has been effectively reduced, and farmers’ enthusiasm has been fully mobilized,” said Cao Yang, head of the Livestock Division of the Khorchin Left Banner Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Science and Technology Bureau. By 2025, the total cattle inventory in the banner has exceeded 500,000, with 36,000 households and over 400 cooperatives involved, laying a solid foundation for large-scale industry development.

In 2025, Inner Mongolia will further implement the “High-Quality Expansion of Basic Breeding Cows” project, subsidizing an average of 500 yuan per head for 500,000 foundational breeding cows. The region will also store 6.8 million tons of high-quality forage, reducing the feeding costs of 2.3 million cattle by an average of 150 yuan per head.

Expanding income channels through full industry chain efforts

Historically, the beef cattle industry in Khorchin Left Banner mainly relied on live cattle sales, with low added value. By 2025, the banner aims to become a “non-raw material exporting area,” vigorously cultivating enterprises such as Khorchin Beef Industry, Pastoral Artisans, and Mengxiangqing, focusing on slaughtering, processing, and deep processing, forming a full industry chain of chilled beef, medium-temperature beef, cooked food processing, and by-product refining. This will significantly improve local conversion rates and extend the industry chain toward advanced processing.

“Over the years, we’ve been raising beef cattle with the village, and everyone’s income has been increasing,” said Yue Xiaohu, a large-scale breeder in Zhongnanqu Village, Shanba Town, Hangjin Hou Banner, Ordos City, with a smile on his face as he looked at the well-fed cattle in his pen.

Leading villagers to prosperity through cattle farming is Zhang Jixin, Party Secretary and Village Committee Director of Zhongnanqu Village, who is also the head of a local pastoral company. In recent years, through a model of “land transfer + contract farming + villagers working,” the village has gradually built a full agricultural and pastoral industry chain integrating breeding, planting, and processing. Currently, Zhang Jixin’s pastoral company has involved over 3,000 farmers in beef cattle breeding, with an average annual income exceeding 130,000 yuan per household, sharing the benefits of industry development.

By 2025, Inner Mongolia will strengthen enterprise cultivation and extend the industry chain, promoting deep processing of beef cattle. Support will be provided for new and expanded deep processing lines, with 10 new leading beef cattle enterprises, bringing the total to 88.

Strengthening branding is also an important direction for Inner Mongolia to enhance the added value of the beef cattle industry.

At the slaughter and processing workshop of Inner Mongolia Huayang Beef Industry Technology Group Co., Ltd. in Khorchin Right Banner, beef cattle undergo multiple processes such as吊宰, deacidification, and fine segmentation, becoming products like chilled beef steaks and premium beef brisket bearing the “Khorchin Right Banner Beef” label. “Since the launch of the ‘Khorchin Right Banner Beef’ regional brand, our order volume has increased by 30%,” said Wang Zhitao, deputy general manager. The company plans to slaughter 22,000 beef cattle in 2025, achieving sales of 240 million yuan, with the proportion of deep-processed products rising from 30% to 50%.

Bahu Gejiletu believes that the development of Inner Mongolia’s beef cattle industry will help counteract the impact of imported beef. “By 2025, the proportion of high-end beef in Inner Mongolia will increase by 12 percentage points, gradually replacing some high-priced imported beef. Meanwhile, through forage optimization and innovative models, the cost of raising beef cattle will be reduced, enhancing price competitiveness. Additionally, relying on the ‘pre-positioned warehouse + immediate slaughter + full traceability’ model shortens distribution times and lowers logistics costs, creating a differentiated advantage where ‘domestic fresh products outperform imported frozen goods,’” he said. Bahu Gejiletu noted that Inner Mongolia’s beef cattle industry was among the first in the country to turn losses into profits, providing a demonstration for the entire industry, attracting capital and talent back, and strengthening China’s strategic independence in beef supply.

Hong Hai, Director of the Livestock Bureau of the Inner Mongolia Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, stated that Inner Mongolia will focus on “stabilizing capacity, increasing yield, reducing costs, and promoting transformation” as main directions. The region aims to achieve the “Four Millions” goal for beef cattle: (1) one million head of beef cattle in grassland pastoral areas for cold storage, (2) one million head of large-scale standardized fattening cattle, (3) one million high-end beef cattle inventory, and (4) one million tons of beef production. The region will further improve the quality of high-quality breeds, expand fattening scale, cultivate and strengthen processing enterprises, develop beef and sheep trading centers, optimize supply chain layout and branding, and promote high-quality development of the beef cattle industry.