Russian paradox: the export of cows and sheep is growing, milk and meat are becoming more expensive

Having lost part of the foreign exchange earnings from grain exports, the Russian village decided to hit the jackpot in another direction. According to Rosselkhoznadzor, over 7.5 months of this year, we doubled the export of farm animals compared to the same period last year. However, the farmers themselves for some reason call this achievement a record with tears in their eyes. Why?

Since the beginning of the year, domestic livestock breeders have exported almost 115 thousand heads of farm animals. Slightly less than half of this export cohort are pigs, 11% are cattle, 41% are small cattle: goats and sheep. A year ago, this figure was 56.3 thousand heads.

According to the department, the buyers of Russian farm animals are mainly neighboring countries, former colleagues in the construction of socialism. Thus, Georgia bought more than 50 thousand pigs, 6 thousand sheep and goats. Among the buyers are Armenia, Azerbaijan (13 thousand small and 1.5 thousand cattle) and Uzbekistan. Of the far abroad countries, Jordan stands out, which brought 14,000 small cattle and Lebanon, which replenished the local “army” of sheep by 6,000 heads.

It must be assumed that the statistics on the export of farm animals is far from complete, because contracts for supplies to different countries and continents are concluded not only at the state level, but also by individual companies and regions.

So why are the farmers themselves not happy with such success? The answer is simple enough. Meat and milk in the domestic market are constantly rising in price, it is necessary to increase our own livestock in order to reduce import dependence on beef and mutton. And it is not at all clear what is preventing us from moving forward. Feed shortage? But we, from the taiga to the British seas, have millions of hectares of vacant land!

But instead of increasing the herd, we sell it live (that is, for slaughter) to other countries.

There are no questions about pigs (pigs occupy an honorable 1st place in exports). For three years now, we have completely covered the domestic demand for pork and even sell it abroad wholesale and retail.

But such agrarian grace is not fixed in other sectors. Take, for example, cows, which we ourselves desperately need. Their livestock in Russia has been declining since the 90s of the last century, increasing import dependence on dairy (and not only) products.

As of April 2022, there were 17.9 million cattle in the country, including 7.8 million cows. Although this is not much – 1-2% – but less than it was a year earlier. For complete, so to speak, happiness, we need to milk 30-32 million tons of milk in the country – against the current 17-18 million. According to experts, 3-4 million heads of dairy herds are just knocking on the door. But the Ministry of Agriculture, which is planning various agricultural programs, obviously does not hear this signal. We sell animals for foreign currency, so that later we can buy milk or meat in other countries for foreign currency. Is it owner-friendly?

An even more acute situation emerged in the camp of small cattle. In Soviet times, there were 64 million sheep in the RSFSR. During perestroika, their livestock decreased to 16 million, exactly four times.

In recent years, it has been growing little by little and there was hope that sooner or later it would recover. After all, today lamb is generally not affordable for a simple Russian. In a carcass, a kilogram of meat costs 600 rubles, and already cut and ready for sale – more than a thousand …

In 2018, judging by the statistics, 24 million small ruminants were recorded in Russia. And already in 2021, there are … 19 million left. Where did the 5 million go in just three or four years?

I ask this question to Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor, Chief Researcher of the Department of Genetics and Technology of the All-Russian Institute of Animal Husbandry Vladimir Dvalishvili.

– They cut and sell to Iran, to the Arab Emirates, to other countries, – he answers. – In carcasses or live. We do not have a competent pricing policy in the development of sheep breeding. In the first place should be wool, in the second – meat. But we are the opposite…

According to the scientist, there are not enough wool washers in the country. To sell wool at a commercial price, it must be washed. This can be done in Belarus, but you need some certificates, documents – a whole story. Therefore, we sell wool for 10 rubles per kilogram, although only shearing a sheep costs 150 rubles. In Kalmykia, in Dagestan, it is more profitable to slaughter animals for meat or sell them live. Grow up to four months – and send for export.

It turns out that it is easier to break the export jackpot here and now than painstakingly, from year to year, to restore the former livestock.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 28853 dated August 24, 2022

Newspaper headline:
cattle export