August 30, 2004

Russian 2005 Meat Production To Remain Stable

Russian production of meat is forecast to remain stable in 2005 as a 3% growth in pork output offsets a drop of 4% in beef, according to information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service web site dated Aug. 16 and released Thursday.
 
Production of meat is forecast to remain stable in 2005 as growth in pork production increases by 3%, to 1.79 million metric tons. As a result of better supplies of feed, the Russian pig crop is expected to expand faster while the slaughter rate and size will return to normal levels. The Russian beef herd and production is forecast to continue its decline as it deals with a poor financial situation from 2003/04 and consequences of slaughter rates that severely diminished herd size. Russian imports in 2005 are forecast at 500,000 MT and 700,000 MT for pork and beef. Strong exports from Ukraine and other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries are playing a growing role due to their preferential access to the Russian market. However, Russian imports are not forecast to completely fill the TRQs due to administration problems in Q1 2004, as well as policy and market changes relating to the European Union and its expansion.