Amino acids (lysine, methionine): Production
China's maize belt and its giant lysine plants
China's maize belt and its giant lysine plants What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | China lysine about 3.5 Mt (end-2024, +17% on 2023); China threonine about 1.08 Mt; China valine 302 kt | Faxian Gongchang China Amino Acids 2026 | |
| World output | China feed amino acid supply 4.89 Mt (2024, +12.9%); China valine output 191 kt; methionine demand 1.94 Mt (2025) | Faxian Gongchang 2026; Mordor via GII 2026 | |
| Capacity utilisation | China valine 63% (191 of 302 kt, 2024, derived) | Lysine capacity grew faster than demand, so many plants run below nameplate; prices fell towards cash cost in 2024 (Faxian Gongchang). | Faxian Gongchang 2026; derived |
| Concentration | lysine: Meihua about 30% and Yipin about 20% of world capacity (Faxian Gongchang, indicative (unverified)); methionine: Evonik, Adisseo, Novus, NHU and Sumitomo hold most capacity | Asia-Pacific was 45.31% of methionine volume in 2025 (Mordor via GII). | Faxian Gongchang 2026 (unverified); Mordor via GII |
| New capacity | Meihua Baicheng 600 kt lysine (Q1 2026 ramp); Yipin Heilongjiang 200 kt threonine (2027); Adisseo Quanzhou 150 kt methionine (2027); Fufeng Kazakhstan (2026) | Most new capacity is Chinese or Chinese-owned abroad, partly to sidestep trade defence. | Faxian Gongchang amino acid and vitamin reports 2026 |
Top producing countries
China 70% · 4.89 Mt of feed amino acids (2024); 76% of lysine capacity, 93% of threonine (2023)- Germany, Belgium, US, Singapore (Evonik): Evonik is the largest methionine maker (Faxian Gongchang); capacity not verified
- France and China (Adisseo): number two in methionine; 150 kt Quanzhou project due 2027
- Indonesia, Brazil, US (CJ CheilJedang): lysine and other fermentation plants (indicative)
- Japan (Sumitomo, Ajinomoto): Sumitomo methionine; Ajinomoto specialty amino acids (indicative)
Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meihua Holdings Jilin sites only: 0.7 Mt existing plus Baicheng 0.6 Mt (trial Q4 2025, ramp Q1 2026); indicative (unverified); also about 300 kt threonine and 750 kt MSG | China | 1.3 Mt/yr lysine capacity | early 2026 | Faxian Gongchang 2026 (citing company reports); Aquafeed (Meihua passed 1 Mt in 2021) |
| Yipin (Xinghu) 265 kt threonine; 450 kt Heilongjiang project due 2027 | China | 0.82 Mt/yr lysine capacity | latest stated | Faxian Gongchang 2026 |
| Fufeng Group about 2 Mt MSG; lysine and threonine; Kazakhstan base commissioning 2026 | China | not published | n/a | Faxian Gongchang 2026 |
| CJ CheilJedang global lysine, threonine, tryptophan and valine network (indicative) | South Korea | not published | n/a | Faxian Gongchang 2026 (CJ Shenyang valine 50 kt) |
| Evonik MetAMINO DL-methionine; capacity not verified | Germany | not published | n/a | Faxian Gongchang 2026 (global number one) |
| Adisseo (Bluestar/ChemChina) 2025 revenue RMB 17.231 billion, net profit RMB 1.155 billion; Quanzhou 150 kt due 2027 | France/China | not published | 2025 | Faxian Gongchang vitamin report 2026 |
| Novus International (Mitsui) liquid methionine analogue (indicative) | US/Japan | not published | n/a | Faxian Gongchang 2026 |
| Zhejiang NHU Chinese methionine entrant (indicative) | China | not published | n/a | indicative |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No lysine or methionine producer identified imports from China, Indonesia, Europe and Singapore (indicative) | India | not published | n/a | not found in sources reached |
India has no lysine, threonine or methionine plant found in sources reached. Its fast-growing poultry sector buys imported amino acids at import parity (indicative). Indian maize starch capacity of 5.8-6.5 Mt a year (Sanstar DRHP via MoneyWorks4Me) is the obvious base for lysine fermentation.
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | A lysine anti-dumping petition is reported under review since May 2025 (Faxian Gongchang; indicative (unverified)); domestic lysine from CJ and ADM (indicative). |
| EU | Anti-dumping duty of 47.7-58.2% on Chinese lysine from July 2025; Eurolysine (ex-Metex) is the remaining EU lysine maker; Evonik's methionine plants in Antwerp and Wesseling (indicative). |
| India | Fully import-dependent for feed amino acids (indicative). |
| China | Dominant in fermented amino acids; export VAT rebate cut to 9% (from 13% in 2023) (Faxian Gongchang). |
| Japan | Sumitomo methionine; Ajinomoto amino acids. |
| Middle East | No production found; imports for poultry. |