Ukraine increases poultry exports
According to the State Statistics Service, poultry imports fell to 8.800 tonnes (t) in September, a decrease on the previous month, while exports jumped to 9.300t. It predicted that over the whole year, the Ukraine will export 65,000t of poultry, while imports will reach 110,000t.
Industry experts claim that the increase in exports has occured due to a decrease in the volume of the domestic market this year, with consumption falling faster than production. At the same time, the export market is more attractive for manufacturers than the domestic market due to more favourable prices in neighbouring countries.
“The main market for Ukrainian poultry meat is Russia, which is currently purchasing 97% of the total Ukraine poultry export. The rest is mostly going to Kazakhstan,” said a spokesperson from the country’s leading agricultural analytical agency, Ukrainian Agribusiness Club.
They added that the establishment of exports to the EU is extremely important to the Ukraine because Russia is nearing self sufficiency in poultry production and will soon be able to stop importing poultry altogether.
“The European market is more attractive for poultry producers than Russia, and Russian producers are increasing the self-sufficiency of the domestic market annually,” they said.
Speaking at a press conference recently, the head of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club, Aleksei Bakumenko, said that it was a matter of time before the Ukraine starts exporting poultry to Europe.
“We expect the permit to the EU literally from day to day - there were only small formalities of harmonising veterinary legislation,” he explained.
