Consumption is gradually recovering, and the bullfrog industry is picking up

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that it is necessary to comprehensively promote rural revitalization and develop industries with rural characteristics
.
Bullfrog is a highlight
of China's aquaculture industry development in recent years.
At present, the annual output of bullfrog breeding in China is about 600,000 tons, and it is widely cultivated
in Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, Hunan and other places.
At the same time, the nutritious bullfrog is also a "net celebrity" in the catering industry, according to statistics, there are more than 30,000 bullfrog-related restaurants, and more than 1,000 in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing and other cities
.
Industry insiders said that bullfrog has formed a complete development model of the whole industrial chain, shaping a large bullfrog industry of nearly 80 billion yuan, driving nearly one million people upstream and downstream to employment, and the future output value is expected to exceed 400 billion yuan
.

Production and consumption are blooming everywhere

Bullfrogs have been introduced into China's breeding industry for many years, but the real increase in breeding has been since 2000, with an annual output
of 10,000-20,000 tons.
Although there are many difficulties in the development of bullfrogs, the breeding volume has reached more than 400,000 tons in the past two years
.
At present, the output value of the whole industry chain of bullfrog is 60 billion to 80 billion yuan, which is the next 100 billion yuan of net red aquatic products
after crayfish.
With its tender and smooth taste, high protein and diversified dishes, bullfrog quickly occupied the catering market
.
Cantonese cuisine, Hunan cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine and other major cuisines are competing to enter the research and development track of bullfrog dishes, promoting the production and consumption of bullfrogs to bloom all over the country
.

According to Meituan data, in 2020, there were more than 10,000 bullfrog-themed restaurants and more than 30,000 bullfrog-related restaurants across the country
.
According to the "National Bullfrog Industry Survey Report", in 2021, well-known catering brands such as Qi Qing Mei Frog, Weizhi Jue, Frog Laida and Frog Xiaoxia have successively exceeded 300 stores
.

According to statistics, in 2021, the annual output of bullfrog breeding in the country will reach about 600,000 tons, and the main production areas of breeding will cover more than 10 provinces such as Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi and Hubei, driving millions of people in the upstream and downstream of the industry to employment, and have formed a whole industrial chain business model of bullfrog breeding, feed, animal protection, adult frog processing, sales and catering, shaping a large bullfrog industry
of 80 billion yuan.

The trough of the market is difficult to stop the enthusiasm of bullfrog breeding

Affected by the high price of bullfrogs in 2021, more people have raised winter frogs in 2022
.
Although the overall market in 2022 is not as good as in 2021, it is generally positive, and it is also higher than the cost price
when the market is low.
At the end of 2022, the average price per catty of bullfrogs recovered by feed mills from 3-7 taels was between
7.
5-8 yuan.

With the gradual liberalization of epidemic prevention and control policies in various places, agricultural product markets in many places resumed business, and bullfrog prices increased by about
0.
5 yuan per catty in early December 2022 due to accelerated market circulation.
At the same time, a number of bullfrog feed factories in Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi and other places have issued feed price reduction notices, and frog products are generally reduced by 0.
15 yuan
per catty.

The epidemic prevention and control policies have been liberalized, and the recovery of market consumption has been slow.

Bullfrog circulation practitioners revealed that due to the impact of the epidemic, many stalls in the Chongqing market did not purchase and stock up before, and now everyone is in a hurry to get the goods, and orders are also pouring in, setting off a hot delivery scene
.
However, the consumption of the market is very cautious, sales do not grow, there is no sales support, and the subsequent price increase is weak
.
At present, the circulation of bullfrogs may only return to 1/3 of its usual level
.
Some practitioners said that the follow-up market remains to be seen, and it is necessary to look at the development of
the industry with a cautious view.

Many people in the industry reported that in recent years, due to the epidemic and the continuous high temperature in the summer of 2022, it has had a great impact
on the bullfrog industry.
Bullfrog belongs to the high-density breeding industry, often facing environmental protection and retiring to the land and other problems, bullfrog farms in many places are frequently demolished, breeding sites are difficult to sustain and stable, market fluctuations are also very large
.

Although the cost of all aspects has risen significantly, it cannot stop the enthusiasm of farmers for bullfrog farming
.
Since 2021, there have been more people from frogs to bullfrogs, Nanchang Tongwei Biotechnology Co.
, Ltd.
special material sector business manager Lin Hua said that bullfrog breeding area has an annual growth trend of 15%-20%, Jiangxi area at the end of 2022 bullfrog breeding area of 5,000-6,000 mu, the overall output reached about 60,000 tons, an increase of one or two thousand tons
over 2021.

The next two years are optimistic

Water pollution and drug residues have always been two major pain points in the development of bullfrog breeding industry, which have an adverse impact
on the healthy development of the entire bullfrog industry chain.

For water pollution, which involves environmental protection, many bullfrog breeding areas have issued prohibition orders
.
Enterprises in the bullfrog industry chain have begun to carry out industry self-help actions, such as the bullfrog brand enterprise Frog Laida, through various green ecological and environmentally friendly breeding models, actively promote the green transformation and upgrading of the industry, so that the bullfrog industry will develop on a large scale
.

Guangdong is a major province
for bullfrog farming.
The relevant person in charge of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Guangdong Province introduced that in 2021, bullfrogs have formed a complete development model of the whole industrial chain, with an output value of nearly 80 billion yuan, of which Guangdong bullfrog production accounts for about
half of the country.
Despite the rapid development of the bullfrog industry, it is facing development difficulties
at the breeding end.
At present, bullfrogs are still in the initial stage of development, and there are problems such as
tail water, pollution of sick and dead frogs, and illegal drug use caused by excessive breeding density.

Experts say that the management of bullfrog feeding is key
.
Bullfrogs hibernate, and before wintering, bullfrog health care should be strengthened to enhance resistance to reduce the incidence of
the following year.
It is recommended that farmers use as few antibiotics as possible, and feed regularly and quantitatively
.

A bullfrog breeding practitioner said that he is more optimistic about the development of the bullfrog after the market, "especially the early frog in the spring this year, the price in June and July is very optimistic
.
" The market situation during the New Year is not easy to predict, because the epidemic is still unstable, schools are all closed early, and large families have more time, reducing group activities and meals
.
After the temperature gradually recovers and the catering industry slowly recovers, the bullfrog industry is expected to soar
towards an output value of 100 billion yuan.
”

Traditional bullfrog production is in Zhangzhou and Shantou, and after the dispersion of the country, where there is a market, there is bullfrog farming
.
The transfer of industry has brought more opportunities to everyone, but also brought more challenges
.
Some insiders said that it is expected that the production of bullfrogs in 2022 will increase by 15%-20% compared with 2021, after the liberalization of epidemic prevention and control policies, although consumption may be somewhat weak in a short period of time, but the consumption intensity after the Spring Festival in 2023 should grow, coupled with the role of prefabricated vegetables in the past two years to promote the development of bullfrogs, the bullfrog market in the next two years is more optimistic
.

(Wang Jiayi, comprehensive arrangement)

China Food News(2023.
01.
05.
08)

(Responsible editor: Wang Jiayi)