April 4, 2012

In the first two months of this year, Ukraine had imported 2.3 times more pork than in the same period in 2011, according to analysts at Dykun Global Consult.

It is worth to note that Ukraine currently imports mainly cheap and low-quality pork, which could be sold at about 30% lower prices than pork produced domestically. As a result, Ukrainian pork producers face significant losses due to the inability to sell their products.

The average value of imported pork products was about UAH15 per kilogramme (US$2.04). Domestically produced pork, however, reached a minimum level of UAH20-20.5 per kilogramme (US$2.73-2.79) this week, the Ukraine State Statistical Service (Gosstat) reported. Last week it was at UAH19-19.5 per kilogramme (US$2.59-2.66).

Since the majority of the Ukrainian consumers has relatively little money to spend, and since purchasing decisions are traditionally made on price, the choice for cheap imported pork is understandable. Pork exports from Ukraine fell by 7% over the first two months of 2012.

Analysts from market research firm Grain Ukraine added: "In January and February of this year, exports amounted to 3,700 tonnes, worth US$17.2 million. The fact that imports exceed exports by 3.5 times, points to an unhealthy economic situation in the country."