July 18 2002, 11:06 Interfax-Ukraine

Livestock unprofitableness in Ukraine not to exceed last year's

Unprofitableness of livestock industries in Ukraine this year will stay at the levels of 2001 despite drop in prices for livestock products this year.

This is an opinion of Yuri Melnik, Deputy State Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture. He backs it up by the statement that unprofitableness will be braked by an increase in efficiency of livestock production.

According to the State Statistical Committee of Ukraine, the level of profits of livestock industry in 2001 was minus 9%.

Mr. Melnik noted that poultry and egg production would stay with positive profits. Besides, he said, the situation in the industry permitted to hope that target figures for this year would be achieved.

It was earlier reported that agrarian ministry forecasted growth in milk production at 2.7 percent vs last year's values and that of meat (sales of animals ad poultry in live weight) - at 21 percent.