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Russia slashes meat import amid domestic production growth

In 2015, the government plans to continue an agrarian import substitution program

© Yevgeny Kurskov/TASS

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MOSCOW, January 27. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Customs Service states a domestic meat import drop from non-CIS states by one fourth in January-November 2014 amid a 13% growth of meat purchases in the CIS states and six percent meat domestic output rise, particularly that of pork.

The volume of trade with Belarus and Kazakhstan is not taken into account, the Federal Customs Service noted.

Meanwhile, in January-November 2014 poultry purchases from non-CIS states plummeted by 15.7%, butter — 8.5% down, cheese and curd — 34.5% down.

These statistical reports were cited in materials to a meeting on cattle breeding development which Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will chair on Tuesday.

On Monday, Federal Statistics Service has published statistical reports for 2014, reporting farming produce output growth in Russia as for several food products import of which was restricted in the country. In particular, domestic cheese output rose by 14.1%, poultry product output hiked by 7.8%, sunflower oil — by 21.5% up and sugar — 6.5% up. Fish production dropped by four percent, flour — 1.6% down and milk — one percent down.

In 2015, the government plans to continue an agrarian import substitution program. The federal budget envisages $3.04 billion to these ends. Since February 1, grain export duties were introduced. So, the Cabinet plans to stabilize domestic prices.

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In 2015, the state-funded program for agrarian and industrial sector development plans to give grants to developers to back innovative projects. The federal budget share will make 60% in this sector and non-budgetary sources — 40%. As much as $800 million are planned to allot to these ends by 2020, Minister of Agriculture Nikolay Fedorov said.

Thanks to state support programs, a tendency for an output growth has taken shape in Russian cattle breeding. From 2008 until 2014, agrarian producers were funded with a total of 390 billion rubles ($5.9 billion). Cattle breeding amount is expected to make 2.83 million tons in 2015, pork — 4.03 million tons and poultry meat — 5.57 million tons.

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