The current situation
The Chinese dairy sector is quickly developing in response to a hugely increased demand for milk and dairy goods. In order to meet the ambitious goal for domestic production, China will have to face some important issues. Presently, local production allows covering around 70% of the Chinese dairy consumption but the country’s production capacity needs to keep up with the forthcoming demand. China’s domestic production is expensive and results in reliance on international imports – in 2020 the country purchased 3.37 million metric tonnes of dairy products.
Growing production
One of the factors responsible for high production costs is the limitation in domestic animal forage – the manufacturers often need to import grains and milk powder. Nevertheless, there are also positive trends emerging from the Chinese dairy sector. Although the overall number of dairy cows is expected to slowly decrease from 6.15 million in 2020 to 5.94 million by 2025, the average number of cows per farm is increasing rapidly. The production capacity is also growing – in 2017 the average yearly yield per cow was 4,600 kilograms but is expected to rise to over 5,500 kilograms by 2024.
Consolidation
During the last few years, the smaller businesses owning up to a few hundred cows were incorporated by the larger companies which can now present an impressive herd of even tens of thousands of dairy cows. The bigger players were able to adapt more accurately to the evolving regulations and with the technological advancements and professional knowledge they can now obtain an average daily yield of 30-40 kg of the product per cow.
Modernization
Another peculiarity typical for the Chinese farms is that the work is rarely automated – the big milking rotaries are trending while the Automated Milking Systems are rather uncommon. This is due to China’s extensive possibilities of hiring employees at dairy farms and the companies not being forced to invest in technological assistance. However, dairy producers are increasingly using total mixed rations (TMR) as forage. The share of manufacturers applying TMR technology grew from 30% to 90% between 2008 and 2018 which is a sign of increased modernization.
The future of the Chinese dairy market
Recent data estimates that Chinese milk production will reach 34.5 million metric tonnes in 2021 – a 5% growth from the previous year. At large-scale farms, the average yield per cow is expected to reach 8 tonnes in 2020. For the future, experts predict that the Chinese dairy market will see a further decrease in the number of small farms in favor of more large-scale producers with at least 3,000 cows. A moderate shift towards automation is also expected as urbanization tendencies may limit the availability of the workforce. The Chinese government will need to continue supporting the farmers through aid programs and strengthening the domestic brands.
En savoir plus sur Farine de Gluten de Maïs

Aspects techniques
Le produit final est une poudre homogène et fine de couleur jaune-orange. Il a une odeur de céréale fraîche. La Farine de Gluten de Maïs est riche en protéines et assez bonne en méthionine, ce qui est précieux pour les poules pondeuses. La teneur relativement élevée en xanthophylles jaunes fait de la Farine de Gluten de Maïs un choix populaire pour la pigmentation des volailles.
Application
La farine de gluten de maïs est principalement utilisée comme matière première pour l’alimentation du bétail, y compris les poissons, ainsi que pour les aliments pour animaux de compagnie. Le gluten alimentaire fournit des protéines, de l’énergie et de la pigmentation aux animaux. Il est utilisé comme une alternative potentielle à d’autres protéines telles que la farine de soja, la farine de poisson, la farine de viande et d’os.