Steep decline in Russian pork exports

Report this Spanish media based on Russian sources. The war between Russia and Ukraine, and the associated sanctions, is therefore not cited as the reason behind the sharp decline in pork exports. It fell by 23% in the first six months of this year to 81.600 tons (-21.400 tons) of pork compared to the first half of 2021. Yury Kovalev, chairman of the Russian Association of Pig Farmers (NUPP), says he expects that the backlog in exports in the second half of this year will double to 50.000 tons. This is about 1% of the annual consumption of pork in Russia. “But given the current oversaturated market, any percentage has a huge negative impact on domestic price formation,” emphasized Kovalev.

Exports to overseas destinations in particular have fallen sharply. For example, the export of Russian pork to Vietnam decreased by 57% to 23.400 tons in the period from January to June. According to Kovalev, this decrease is due to the recovery of domestic production in Vietnam and the relatively high prices on the Russian pig market. The logistical problems with container shortages and the strong ruble, which makes exports unprofitable, also contribute to declining Russian exports. Russia is now aiming to open up the Chinese market for Russian pork. This can give exports a huge boost.