Русский
China boosted imports of chicken feet from Russia 10% year-on-year to 109,000 tons and 5% year-on-year to a value of US$327 million in 2025, according to data from China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC).
This means that Russia became the world leader among exporters of this product to China in terms of revenue, surpassing Brazil with export revenues of US$326 million. Thailand was third at US$219 million, followed by the United States at US$69 million and Belarus at US$33 million.
Russia has been catching up with Brazil, who exported US$638 million worth of chicken feet to China in 2024, with Russia exporting US$311 million worth.
China is the world’s largest consumer and importer of chicken feet (often referred to in the trade as “paws”), with an annual demand estimated at approximately 30 billion chicken feet. This massive appetite creates a significant supply deficit, requiring imports of hundreds of thousands of tons to supplement domestic production. Often considered a waste product in the West, chicken feet are considered a delicacy in China, being a throwback to times of starvation and poverty when nothing could be left to waste. The feet possess a little meat, skin, and tendons, are cooked until they are very soft, and are served with rice in very tasty sauces developed especially for the product. Chicken feet can be found on most Chinese restaurant menus.
