China exports first batch of broiler eggs
History has shown that import substitution does not yield successful outcomes. By the end of the 20th century, almost all countries abandoned these policies in favour of export-led growth. photo: file
The inaugural shipment of Chinese homegrown white broiler eggs has been successfully exported to Pakistan via a flight from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, marking a significant development in the agricultural trade relations between the two countries.
In the cargo hold of the plane were special "guests" – 172,800 "Guangming No 2" White Feathered Broiler eggs from China. The shipment, all domestically bred by Foshan Gaoming District Xinguang Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Co Ltd and the Beijing Institute of Animal Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, marks the first time China has exported its breed of poultry to Pakistan.
"This export of white-feathered broiler breeding eggs to Pakistan means a lot to us. More Chinese breeding eggs will go abroad, not only to Pakistan, but also to the globe," said Liu Dawei, Deputy General Manager of Xinguang and the person in charge of the White Feather Broiler project, with excitement.
The China Economic Net learned that the "Guangming No 2" White Feather Broiler weighs more than 3kg at 42 days of age and has a feed-to-weight ratio of 1.32-1.5:1. Moreover, they have significant advantages such as rapid growth and a high survival rate. The 172,800 hatching eggs exported to Pakistan could provide more than 50,000 sets of "Guangming No 2" parent broilers after 21 days of incubation. Before long, they could produce more than 7 million commercial broilers, which translates to over 21,000 tonnes of chicken.
Over the past four decades, the vast majority of white-feathered broiler breeders in the world have been monopolised by developed countries in Europe and the US, with China's dependence on foreign white-feathered broiler breeders once reaching 100%. By the end of 2021, three varieties, including "Guangming No 2," had passed the review, allowing domestic white-feathered broiler breeders to be independently cultivated in China.
Today, Pakistan faces the same dilemma that China once faced. Statistics show that there are only about half a dozen companies in Pakistan that import all of the grandparent stock in the country. GPs are the birds that produce the parent stock, which in turn produce broilers for mass consumption.