Primorye reduces pork production 4% in 2023 due to rise in African swine fever

VLADIVOSTOK. Jan 10 (Interfax) - Primorsky Territory reduced pork production 4% in 2023 versus 2022 to 73,000 tonnes, the press regional government press service reported.

At the same time, poultry meat production increased 2.6% to 20,000 tonnes.

The press release said the reduction in pork production was caused by a difficult epizootic situation in 2023.

Previous reports said that African swine fever was identified in May 2023 on the territory of the Leninsky-2 and Leninsky-1 pig-breeding complexes belonging to Rusagro-Primorye LLC (part of the Rusagro group of companies), one of the largest pork producers in Primorye.

It was also reported that the Rusagro pig-breeding cluster in Primorye would reach production capacity in 2024 instead of 2023 as previously planned due to the ASF outbreak.

Rusagro has been implementing a full-cycle cluster project since 2016 within the Mikhailovsky Advanced Special Economic Zone. It includes 13 production facilities, with nine pig-breeding sites, a feed production complex with an elevator, a motor transport facility, a meat processing plant and a workshop for technical semi-finished products. Its capacity is 75,000 tonnes of pork per year.

Governor of Primorsky Territory Oleg Kozhemyako, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in April 2023, reported that the region is 100% supplied with pork, and that a significant share of the chicken meat market is covered by production from local company Agroptitsa.