Russia reveals varied performance for meat and poultry production

By Vladislav Vorotnikov

- Last updated on GMT

Russian is aiming for self-sufficiency in meat and poultry
Russian is aiming for self-sufficiency in meat and poultry

Related tags Meat Beef Livestock Pork Poultry

Russia will continue to increase meat production and improve meat self-sufficiency in 2014 despite a number of negative factors hampering the development of the industry, according to the recent marketing report from the Russian Institute for Agricultural Market Studies.

According to the report, Russia’s total domestic meat production increased by 6% to 3.8m tonnes (t) last year. It predicted that, in 2014, production would increase by 210,000t-230,000t in liveweight or by 4.4% year-on-year.

As a result, meat self-sufficiency in Russia grew from 72% in 2012 to 76% in 2013 and is likely to continue rising, the report said.

“The past year was very varied for the Russian meat industry,”​ said the report. “In the first half of the year, producers faced very low margins due to record high feed costs and low prices for the main types of meat. However, in the second half of the year, margins generally rose, after cheaper feed appeared on the market.”

Rising pork production

According to the report, Russia’s total domestic meat production increased by 6% to 3.8m tonnes (t) last year. It predicted that, in 2014, production would increase by 210,000t-230,000t in liveweight or by 4.4% year-on-year.

As a result, meat self-sufficiency in Russia grew from 72% in 2012 to 76% in 2013 and is likely to continue rising.

The report stated that Russia’s pig sector continued to develop, but economic growth had reached inertia. Investment was primarily in projects launched in the last couple of years, with very few projects for new farms, it added.

In 2013, pork production grew by almost 10% to 2.81mt in carcase weight. Among larger industrial plants, pork production grew by 15%, while production by private households continued to decline, mostly due to the continuing spread of African Swine Fever.

“Nevertheless, amid the success of domestic pig producers, Russia remains a major importer of pork (including offal and lard). In 2013, imported raw materials accounted for around 29% of the overall pork market. In the medium term the pork market will grow by 3-4% annually, but in 2014, more growth will probably be necessary and may exceed 350,000t on a year-on-year comparison,”​ the report added.

Beef and poultry

In contrast, the report revealed that Russian beef production fell by 1% year-on-year in 2013. “In the next two to three years we will see growth in high-quality beef, but total beef production is likely to fall,”​ it said.

It added that the situation for poultry remained difficult. “Because of market oversupply and decreasing prices, margin levels [in the poultry sector] dropped to the lowest values ever,”​ it added.

Related topics Meat

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