March 26, 2009
Russian Jan-Feb beef, pork, poultry imports down on-year
Russia imported 39,000 tonnes of beef in January and February, down 40 percent on the year, the Russian National Meet Association said Wednesday (March 25).
Pork imports during the period fell by 31 percent on the year to 53,000 tonnes, and poultry imports fell by 18 percent to 92,000 tonnes.
The association said the fall in imports was due to significant meat stocks left over from last year, the sharp fall in the rouble/dollar exchange rate and the current lack of credit available from banks.
Another factor is that meat processing enterprises are experiencing financial difficulties in the current financial crisis and their outstanding debts to meat suppliers are accumulating.