Year in review 2009-2010, Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association
.
Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association yearbook; Reports; PublicationNT
2010
Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).
Date:2010
English
Livestock -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals; Beef cattle -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals; Ranches -- Northern Territory -- Periodicals
Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association Incorporated
Darwin
Check within Publication or with content Publisher.
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/223854
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/685136
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/685139; https://hdl.handle.net/10070/685137
34 northern territory Cattlemens association incorporated at the 1990 level of 0.9 kg per capita, population growth alone would have driven sales of an extra 165,000 tonnes of beef and sheepmeat, respectively, over the past two decades. However, per capita consumption has not remained static. Chinese consumers have grown increasingly carnivorous over recent decades, consuming more of all meats, including sheepmeat and beef. When compared with other developing countries in Asia, per capita consumption growth in China has been particularly impressive. (figure 2) A major factor driving consumption growth has been the increased purchasing power of the Chinese consumer. Urban disposable incomes in particular have surged from around CNY 1,500 (USD 314) in 1990 to just under CNY 16,000 (USD 2,336) in 2008. Although this has seen spending on feed as a share of disposable income decline from around one-half to around one-third in absolute terms, spending on food has risen more than five-fold (to over CNY 4,200). As incomes increase, Figure 2 Chinese consumers are significantly increasing their spending on meat, including beef and sheepmeat. This increased consumption is due to both the perceived positive nutritional attributes of mean and also the pure enjoyment of eating meat. Another factor supporting consumption growth has been the migrations of the Chinese populations to urban areas, where average per capita beef and sheepmeat consumption is roughly one and a half times consumption in rural regions. The share of the population living in urban areas of China rose from around one-quarter in 1990 to nearly one-half in 2007. Urban centres provide access to improved incomes and a range of products that may not be easily distributed to rural areas. For suppliers of meat, large urban areas are also more attractive due to the better cold-chain systems in place and, for imported meat, the growth of western-style supermarkets and restaurants, which cater to wealthier customers willing to pay higher prices. surGinG loCal suPPly has limited imPort oPPortunities The combination of increased wealth, urbanisation, westernisation and population growth saw total consumption of beef and sheepmeat in China surge 2.5million tonnes and 2 million tonnes, respectively, between 1996 and 2008. However, much of this increased consumption was met by local supply growth. During these years, China grew to become the worlds largest producer of sheepmeat and one of the largest of beef, dwarfing Australia. Much of the growth in Chinese production took place in the 1980s and 1990s, driven in large part by government support. The Chinese government wanted to expand the range of meat products available to the population, believing beef and sheepmeat were more nutritious than pork and less grain intensive, given their pasture-based production systems. Producers were supported by tax exemptions and subsidies on inputs, given favourable access to finance and also protected from AGRI-TECH ENGINEERING 28 Toupein Rd, Yarrawonga, PO Box 105, Humpty Doo, NT, 0836 P: 08 8931 2222 M: 0414 882 774 F: 08 8931 2212 E: dallis@agritechengineering.com.au / accounts@agritechengineering.com.au Dallis Wilschefski General engineering & earthmoving repairs Machine shop and suppliers of machining grade steels Mobile line boring and welding Manufacturing gooseneck trailers, floats & cattle yard equipment FEEDING THE DrAGoN CoNTINuED