Ukraine increased pork imports in 2012
According to the recently published data, in 2012 Ukraine imported 203,700 tonnes of pork, almost 2.5 times higher than in 2011 when it was 86,200 tonnes.
According to Elizabeth Svyatkivskoy from Ukraine Agribusiness Club (UKAB) such a rapid increase in imports has already had a negative impact on local farmers, who are suffering losses.
“The rapid growth of imports of meat in 2012, especially pork, has already resulted in the reduction of purchase prices for live pigs – to the level where it does not cover the average cost of breeding. This in turn negatively affects the number of pigs in the country, which causes businesses to abandon further investment in the development of the industry, ” said UKAB.
In 2012, the level of sales of pigs for slaughter on commercial farms remained practically at the level of 2011 and was amounted to 415,800 tonnes, which is only by 0.1% more the same figure of 2011. The sales of pigs for slaughter from the private farms also declined, which evidenced by the decrease in pigs population in private households by almost 2.1% as of January 1, 2013
However, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine in a statement advised farmers to not be afraid of further import growth in 2013. According to the estimates of government experts in this year the level of imports will decline by 15% to 170,000 tonnes.
At the same time experts of UKAB estimated that for Ukrainian pig industry it is necessary that the country could cut imports of pork at least by 50% in 2013, which would increase the number of pigs by 11% – up to 8.350 million heads, and help Ukrainian pork producers to reach the level of minimum profitability.
