Russia increases beef imports by 35,000 tonnes to 350,000 tonnes in 2024 - senator

MOSCOW. Feb 25 (Interfax) - Russia reached a peak in meat consumption at 83 kg per person in 2024, and while domestic production is growing and exports are increasing, the country mainly exports poultry and pork, whereas beef still has to be imported and imports are rising, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Agrarian and Food Policy and Environmental Management Sergei Mitin said during a committee meeting on Tuesday.

"Meat production last year reached a record 16.9 million tonnes, with consumption at 83 kg per person per year. We have reached a level where the food security doctrine indicator for meat [85%] has been met. However, we have issues with exports. We mainly export chicken and pork, but when it comes to beef, we import it at 350,000 tonnes last year, an increase of 35,000 tonnes," he said.

This is a consequence of the situation in the cattle industry, Mitin said. "The cattle population is declining because households are slaughtering livestock, and they actually produce a significant share of the meat. There is also another concerning factor - due to genetic selection techniques, we are now selectively breeding bulls in a way that results in mostly dairy cows, without replenishing beef cattle herds," he said.

In this situation, some regions, especially those planning to expand pork production, need to reconsider their production structure, he said. "What will we do with all this [pork]? That's the question. This issue could become very serious soon, and decisions need to be made now. Perhaps it's time to adjust the production structure," he said.

According to data from the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies, beef imports from Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina increased significantly last year, while imports from Belarus remained at previous levels. At the same time, supplies from Bolivia, which surged in 2023, were almost non-existent in 2024.

Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) data indicate that the number of cattle in agricultural organizations had decreased 4% year-on-year to 7.44 million head at the end of January this year, with the number of cows declining 3.2% to 3.01 million head. The number of cattle in the farms of all agricultural producers, namely agricultural organizations, farmers, and private subsidiary farms, had decreased 4.1% year-on-year to 16.4 million head at the end of December 2024 according to estimates, with the number of cows declining 3.8% year-on-year to 7.3 million head. Households accounted for 37.5% of the cattle population in the livestock structure.