Inner Mongolia's beef output tops 1 mln tonnes, accounting for over an eighth of China's total

HOHHOT, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region produced a record 1.02 million tonnes of beef in 2025, consolidating its position as the nation's top beef producer, according to regional authorities.

The output accounted for about 12.7 percent of China's total beef production last year, official data shows. Nationwide, China produced 8.01 million tonnes of beef in 2025 -- up 2.8 percent from the previous year.

Inner Mongolia overtook east China's Shandong Province to become China's largest beef producer in 2020, when its output reached 663,000 tonnes, and it has retained that top position since then.

The regional agriculture and animal husbandry department said that Inner Mongolia had 8.73 million cattle in 2025. Its beef output rose by 126,000 tonnes, accounting for 57 percent of China's net beef production increase last year. ■