September 5 2002, 14:15

Russia: meat production rose 5pc over 8 months 2002

During 8 months of 2002 production of poultry meat in Russia has risen 12.6 percent over same period the year before, Chief of Livestock Breeding Department at Russian Agriculture Ministry Vasiliy Shapochkin has told a meeting of livestock breeders' council in the Ministry.

Commenting on the figure, the Deputy Agriculture Minister Sergey Dankvert has noted that he does not connect this with suspension of imports of poultry meat from US this summer.

However, the ministry said sharp decrease in cows head was registered - by 460,000 or 5.4 percent as compared to September 1, 2001 - down to 12.35 million heads. At the same time, the total head of cattle has been unchanged - 28.78 million heads. Head of poultry has risen 1.3 percent and now numbers over 217 million heads. Head of hogs has increased 6.8 percent since Sept 1, 2001, and equals 15.58 million.

As a whole, meat production in Russia over the mentioned period has risen by 5 percent and reached 3.901 million tonnes. Cattle meat output has risen 1.5 percent (by 26,000 tonnes), pig meat - 6 percent (by 65,000 tonnes), sheep and goat meet - 1.3 percent (by 2,000 tonnes). Egg output has risen 6.5 percent and reached 940 million as of September 1, 2002.