October 2, 2007

  

Russian Far East a viable market for US beef and pork

 

 

The Far East, especially the region of Vladivostok in Russia accounts for 20 to 30 percent of Russia's meat imports from the US and is a key market for American-produced pork, a US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) representative said.

 

Galina Kochubeeva, manager of the USMEF in Moscow and the CIS, was speaking at the Primorye Culinary Festival, according to the Vladivostok Times.  

 

Kochubeeva expressed hopes there would be friendly relations between the two countries that would set the stage for promoting American pork and beef. Russia currently bans US beef due to mad cow disease concerns.

 

However, an inspection team has recently finished inspections of US facilities, giving rise to hopes that trade between the two countries may resume soon.

 

Russia currently restricts meat imports through quotas. 

 

Kochubeeva said pork quotas are at about 49,000 tonnes. In the first six months half the quotas had been used up. The rest were expected to be used up this quarter.

 

Russia may change the regulations for distribution of quotas for 2008 and 2009, she said.

 

For 2008, there is a plan to distribute quotas among importers based on volumes imported in 2005 and 2006, she said.

 

The changes would mean that demand would be much more market-driven, she said.

 

Russia has also started VTL certification this year, which allows goods from the US to be approved for processing and for retail.

 

The quotas would be the strongest factor that would determine the number of importers, followed by licenses and then market demand, she noted.

 

Still, Kochubeeva hopes the number of importers would grow as beef is in great demand in Russia, she said.

 

Currently most American exporters deliver pork cuts such as pork leg bone-in, pork shoulder, bone-in and boneless, picnic.

 

This year, she notes, American producers and exporters have started supplying  prime cuts to the Russian market loin such as bone-in pork and boneless loin, which are also in great demand.

 

American exporters are also supplying Russia with pork cuts packed for supermarkets, groceries and restaurants, she said.