Estonian meat company mooting Russian exports
by the Finnish HK Ruokatalo group, says it is mulling plans to
start exporting its meat products to the vast Russian market,
according to a Ruokatalo manager in charge of Baltic operations.
As with many consumer-based businesses in the Baltics, the company's plant was originally built to supply the Soviet Union, yet when the states were divided up, import tarrifs were doubled, which dashed the export plans.
However, Finnish press reports say that now that the tarrifs have been lifted, meat processors in both Estonia and throughout the Baltics are finding themselves struggling to keep up with demand from the Russian market and in many cases there have been reported shortages of meat.
A Ruokatalo spokesman said that if Rakvere goes ahead with plans to expand into the Russian market, reliable sources for the supply of meat would have to be secured firstly.
Alsero May Withdraw From Pozmeat
Leading Polish meat exporter Alsero, a major investor in the indebted Polish meat company Pozmeat, says it is counting on an arrangement with Pozmeat's creditors to ensure that it will maintain its investment in the company.
Alsero is aiming to establish its own meat processing venture in an effort to become independent of other meat producers, according to a report contained in the Polish News Bulletin. But the proposed takeover of Pozmeat has not proved easy, with Alsero only managing to buy up a 15.5 per cent stake in the company.
The management of Alsero has proposed to take on 40 per cent of Pozmeat's ZL 90 million debts, with the rest converted into shares to be bought by a strategic investor. According to an investor this proposal was accepted by shareholders but rejected by the Polish courts, prompting Alsero to state that it will withdraw from the negotiations if a deal is not struck up soon.
