Pig farming sees highest growth rate in Russian livestock farming in Jan - ministry
MOSCOW. Feb 28 (Interfax) - Pig farming saw the highest rate of growth in Russia's meat livestock farming sector in January.
The Economic Development Ministry reported that pig production (for slaughter, in live weight) climbed 16.3% to 0.2 million tonnes. The number of pigs increased 7% year-on-year.
An increase in supply led to a drop in prices for pigs on the domestic market. The average sale price (in live weight) was 113.9 rubles per kilogram in January 2014, compared to 129.7 rubles in December 2013.
Production of poultry for slaughter (in live weight) increased 3.3% year-on-year. "The high saturation of poultry meat on the domestic market is having a negative impact on the sale price, which as a result leads to low profit margins and less investment appeal for the industry," the ministry said.
The average price of a bird (in live weight) was 74.2 rubles per kilogram in January 2014, compared to 78.3 rubles in January 2013.
Production of cattle (for slaughter, in live weight) dropped 6.8% in January and the number of animals dropped 2.9%. The main reasons for the decline are low production efficiency and the capital intensive nature of the industry, the ministry said.
The average price for cattle (in live weight) was 148.4 rubles per kilogram in January 2014, which was virtually the same as in January 2013 (148.6 rubles).
Farms produced a total of 0.9 million tonnes of cattle and poultry (for slaughter, in live weight) in January 2014, up 3.5% on January 2013. Agricultural organizations increased production 5.9% to 0.7 million tonnes.
