“The sales price of fattening pigs on Serbian farms ranges from 140 to 160 dinars per kilogramme, and producers are having to deal with a high price of maize, which participates up to 70% in the formation of the price of live cattle, as well as contributes to the low purchase price and large imports,” said the secretary of the Association for Livestock and Livestock Products Processing of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Nenad Budimović.
“On the other hand, 16,000 tonnes of pork, worth 44 million euro, were imported into the Serbian market from the EU in the previous nine months,” Budimović said, adding that the reason is that China stopped importing pork due to the African swine fever pandemic and epidemic in Europe, so there were large market surpluses created in the EU.
“We don’t have accurate data yet on how much meat consumption has declined, because tourism and restaurants are in jeopardy due to the pandemic, and there are no festivals and similar events where there is a lot of meat consumption. I think the results will only show in the coming months if the food industry has held up well to the first blow (of the pandemic) and if there were shortages,” Budimović added.
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He also said that we have to think about new markets, such as China, Vietnam and the Philippines, and the selling finished products in those markets, because the FAO estimates that the consumption will grow by about 22%.
According to Budimović, Serbia has concluded good foreign trade agreements with those countries. That is why the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Agriculture to provide various types of incentives for large domestic producers, and who can involve small livestock breeders.
(eKapija, 13.12.2020)
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