Russia produced 14,700 tonnes of beef in May, 4.3% less than in May 2009 and 1.6% less than in April 2010, the federal statistics agency reported Thursday (July 1).

Without giving tonnages, the agency said beef output in January-May this year was 1.6% less than in January-May 2009.

Earlier, it has already been forecasted that beef output is predicted to be lower than in 2009 while imports have still increased, according to Morgan Haas and Mikhail Maksimenko in the latest GAIN report from USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

Russian beef production was forecasted at 1.255 million tonnes in 2010, down from 1.280 million tonnes in 2009. Beef imports were forecasted at 800,000 tonnes, up from 700,000 tonnes in 2009.