Market analysis of forage products

Introduction: up to now, the developed forage products include grass powder, grass grain, grass block, grass cake, grass bale, leaf block, leaf grain and concentrated leaf protein Among them, the leaf protein concentrate is similar to fish meal in nutritional value, and all kinds of amino acids are relatively perfect In recent years, it has been researched, developed and utilized more However, due to the excessive energy consumption, high cost and low economic benefit in the processing process, it can not be applied in China Forage products have a very broad market both at home and abroad The United States, Canada and Australia are the major exporting countries; Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia are the major importing countries, among which alfalfa is the largest forage product in production and sales In the United States, alfalfa has become the fourth largest agricultural product after wheat, corn and rice, with an annual output value of billions of dollars, known as "cash crop" Canada uses its western edge Haiti nuclear power plant produces rich thermal resources, mainly producing dehydrated alfalfa 1 The forage products exported by the United States in the international market mainly include: alfalfa, cat tail grass, oats, Sudan grass, bermudagrass, perennial ryegrass, reed fescue, etc In 1997, the United States exported 1.96 million tons of hay to countries and regions around the Pacific Ocean, of which Japan accounted for 89.6%, South Korea 5.7%, Taiwan 4.5%, China, Indonesia and the Philippines 0.2% The Western Pacific coast of the United States is the main production and export area 7% of the total hay exports are from this area, especially 70% of the total alfalfa hay exports are from the northwest coast According to the data of the U.S Department of Commerce, about 53% of Japan's 1.94 million tons of forage products imported from the U.S in 1997 came from the northwest coastal areas, and about 47% from California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona In 1997, the total output of hay in the northwest coastal area was about 10.7 million tons, 9.7% of which was produced in Washington, Oregon and Edward; in the same year, the total output of hay in the southwest coastal area was about 13.11 million tons 17.1% of Washington state's total hay production is exported, and its total export volume has exceeded US $1 billion for four consecutive years The forage products in the United States are generally transported in 40 foot containers, each of which can hold about 20-28 tons In Canada, alfalfa was shipped in bulk, which can save a lot of freight Although bare alfalfa blocks will accelerate the damage of grass blocks in the process of frequent moving, due to the saving of freight, the export volume of Canada to Japan and South Korea has increased Japan has a large demand for forage products In 1997, 650000 tons of alfalfa hay were imported, including 74% supplied by the United States and 23% by Canada; 1757000 tons of hay bales were imported, accounting for 83% by the United States; more than 73% of imported alfalfa granules came from Canada In 1997, Japan imported 2.67 million tons of all forage products (grass blocks, bales, grass particles), of which the United States accounted for 73% and Canada 19% 90% of the alfalfa blocks imported from Japan are used to feed cows, 10% are used to feed beef cattle, and 60% of the hay bales are needed for cows The rest of the grass products are mainly used to feed beef cattle and horses The United States and Canada will continue to maintain their position as major exporters to Japan In the past few years, Japan's imports of bales have increased significantly, with the United States providing the vast majority of products In recent years, the number of Alfalfa blocks exported from the United States has decreased, while Canada has expanded its market share Compared with the same period of 1997, in 1999, Japan's import of Alfalfa block decreased by 11%, hay bale by 22%, and Canada's export of Alfalfa block by 9% Japan's persistent economic recession, bad debts, successive bank failures, weak yen and uncertain fiscal situation have all affected forage imports However, Japan is the second largest economic power in the world With the economic recovery, forage import is very important for this island country South Korea has become the second largest consumer of forage products This is due to the increase of population and livestock, the limitation of arable land and stronger economic strength From table 2, we can see the import situation of Korean grass particles, grass blocks and hay bales From the early 1990s to 1997, the import volume of Korean grass products changed a lot In 1997, South Korea imported 56526 tons of Alfalfa blocks, 34451 tons of alfalfa hay, 77450 tons of hay bales, and 53396 tons of Alfalfa particles (see Table 3) Among them, the United States provides about 53%, 87% and 69% of alfalfa hay bales; Canada provides about most of the alfalfa particles and about 46% of alfalfa hay bales All in all, in 1997, South Korea imported about 220000 tons of forage, and the United States accounted for 51% From January to July 1998, the total import volume of South Korea decreased by 55% compared with the same period of 1997 Among them, the alfalfa block decreased by 48%, the grass grain decreased by 41%, and the hay bale of grass decreased by 67% After July, the demand for hay bales of gramineous forages increased It can be used as a substitute for straw straw, and it is much cheaper than alfalfa hay and grass However, if the dairy wants to produce more milk, alfalfa hay and grass blocks are irreplaceable The huge reduction of forage demand in South Korea was caused by the financial storm in December 1997, but with the recovery of the economy, its market prospect is very good It is estimated that the potential market size of South Korea will be 1 / 4-1 / 3 of Japan's consumption, that is, 500000-800000 tons of grass particles, hay, grass blocks and hay bales of Gramineae A peaceful co-existence agreement between the two Koreas will promote this development, because it will promote the development of cattle farming and dairy products, as well as the increase of aid and trade to North Korea, which will also increase the import of forage Taiwan is the third largest market in the Pacific Rim Table 4 shows Taiwan's import of forage products from the United States Due to crop and weather conditions, Taiwan's imports surged in 1995, while the decline in imports in 1996 and 1997 showed that this level would not last Some countries and regions in Southeast Asia also have a large demand for alfalfa products At the same time, most of the rich Islamic countries have poor agricultural resources and are one of the major consumer markets in the world For example, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, slaughters 2 million sheep every year during the Hajj The forage grass needed to concentrate so many sheep in a short time mainly depends on imported alfalfa, which is also a potential long-term market 2 In the domestic market, the main forage products produced in China are bales, grass powder and a small amount of grass grains From the perspective of the domestic market, the main demand for forage products is the compound feed manufacturers and large-scale forage livestock breeding enterprises According to the analysis of relevant experts and the production practice abroad, in the feeding standards of all kinds of livestock and poultry, the forage products can account for 60% in the feed of cattle and sheep, 10% - 15% in the feed of pigs and 3% - 5% in the feed of chickens According to the estimation of 55-58 million tons of compound feed output in 1997, the potential market of forage products that can be used for compound feed is about 6.5-8 million tons At the same time, with the increase of compound feed output by 10% per year, the demand for forage products will increase by about 700000 tons per year According to statistics in 1997, China produced 2.1 million tons of grass products, 295000 tons of which were transferred externally, including 769000 tons of alfalfa, 37800 tons of which were transferred externally; 1070000 tons of sheep grass, 248000 tons of which were transferred externally; 251000 tons of Astragalus adsurgens, 8900 tons of which were transferred externally At present, the grass that has been simply processed accounts for about 5% of the artificial grass resources These forage products are mainly used in large-scale dairy farms, horse racing farms and special animal farms, with a small amount of forage and export Therefore, in the future, the amount of grass for compound feed and large-scale farms in China will be at least 10 million tons On the other hand, the grassland suitable for cold season grazing only accounts for 24.3% of the whole year's grazing grassland, and more than 75% of the livestock in winter are short of grass At the same time, the grassland suitable for cutting and modulating hay reserve for winter only accounts for 25% of the whole country's grassland area, and more than 70% of them are distributed in the eastern and southern humid areas This kind of regional and seasonal imbalance will promote the development of forage products in China Development and circulation However, the current circulation of forage products in China is less than 300000 tons According to the statistics of the customs in 1997, 185500 tons of Yuanqing, cabbage, liquorice, alfalfa, clover and other grass products were exported and 12000 tons were imported, of which 1232 tons of alfalfa hay powder and grass particles were exported The processing of forage products is relatively rough, and the specifications and quality of most grass products can not meet the needs of the international market Please (author:) share to feed Weibo share to: