July 22, 2009

Beef continues to fight a losing battle in Russia as poultry meat and pork come out on tops, ebbing away beef's market share.

Poultry meat's market share in Russia has exceeded 45 percent while pork is expected to exceed 35 percent at the end of next year, according to market research.

The research showed that the Russian pork market volume reflects a stable growth to nearly 19 percent, compared with the same period last year. 

Huge imports have played a key role in Russia's pork market, but the domestic hog herd has increased nearly two percent due to the country's hog breeding development plan.

Meanwhile, meat import figures have been conflicting. According to the Russian State Statistics Agency, imports of fresh and frozen meat have declined 26 percent on-year to 459,000 tonnes in the first five months of 2009. But the Federal Customs Service said meat imports for that period has dropped nearly 31 percent to 400,000 tonnes.