World meat industry news

Russian producers need to increase meat exports, this is necessary for the further balanced development of the industry, according to leading industry experts. The prospects for export deliveries were assessed by the participants of the Agrarian Policy of Russia summit, which was held as part of the international exhibition Meat Industry. Chicken king. Refrigeration industry for the agro-industrial complex /MAP Russia & VIV 2023”.

We will continue to increase exports - this is an opportunity to attract funds that will be used as investments in the development of the industry and its infrastructure, believes Sergey Lakhtyukhov, Director General of the National Union of Poultry Breeders of Russia. “We ourselves are building international logistics, various financial payment mechanisms, primarily with the CIS countries, we have switched almost completely to settlements in national currencies with China,” he stressed, since “this is the future of our industry.”

Sergei Yushin, head of the National Meat Association, agrees with him. According to him, beef exports will show growth in the future. “Our beef has been tasted abroad,” the speaker notes. At the same time, beef consumption in Russia will be reduced, since it is an expensive type of meat, S. Yushin predicts. “Our population is not getting richer, the share of beef will decrease. Russia today consumes an average of 14 kg of beef per person per year, in China this figure is 7 kg per year, in Eastern Europe - 10 kg. And from the point of view of the cost of this type of meat and the income of the population, “we overeat beef,” the head of the NMA believes.

Pig farming, like poultry farming, is at a stage when the main hopes for the further balanced development of the industry are associated with exports, said Yuri Kovalev, General Director of the National Union of Pig Breeders of Russia. “Today, they cited FAO data that exports average about 10% of production. I think that's about the number our industry should be aiming for." Now, according to the director general of the NSS, about 5% of pork is exported. It should be borne in mind that an increase in export volumes also increases risks. “If we supply more, 15-20%, then we need reliable allied countries that will buy guaranteed (like Mexico - the United States), since with such volumes we cannot depend on any veterinary or geopolitical reasons,” - he explained.