Supplying China’s Growing Appetite for Poultry

Exports provide a valuable source of income for the U.S. poultry sector, where the U.S. is the world’s second largest broiler meat exporter. Russia, a top market for U.S. broilers, recently declared a one year ban on U.S. agricultural products. To fill this void, China, the United States’ leading agricultural trading partner, could be considered as an expanding market for the U.S. poultry industry. In this paper, we explore the potential for U.S. poultry export opportunities by examining China’s demand, supply, food safety and trade barriers which affect poultry trade between the two countries. Results indicate that although China may not experience rapid growth in U.S. poultry exports in the short run as it meets Chinese consumers’ demand, but that market opportunities exist in the long run as China confronts its supply constraints