OREANDA-NEWS  Belarus has imposed restrictions on the export of poultry meat from the country since August 1. Kommersant writes about this with reference to sources in the industry.

As reported in the documents of the Department of Veterinary and Food Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the country, in order to saturate the domestic market with products, the issuance of certificates for the export of broiler chicken carcasses and their parts was suspended. At the same time, the restrictions do not apply to deliveries to China and products of the large holding Servolux Agro (Petrukha brand), the letters of the departments say.

Sources of Kommersant in the market said that in their opinion, the real reason for the suspension of supplies abroad was an outbreak of avian flu at some poultry farms in the republic. Such situations lead to a decrease in the production of chicken, while usually the Belarusian side does not officially report the facts of the spread of the disease, they added.

The National Union of Meat Processors (NSM) suggested that the restriction of supplies may be a short-term measure, as it is associated with the holding of the II CIS Games in Belarus from August 4, during which domestic demand may increase significantly. Partner of NEO Center Albina Koryagina recalls that a temporary ban on the export of meat and dairy products was already introduced in October 2022. Then it was preceded by the demand of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to keep food prices, this reason could become the basis for supply restrictions even now, she believes. The interlocutor of Kommersant said that Belarus supplies about 10 thousand tons of poultry meat to Russia per month, of which more than half are broiler carcasses for wholesalers. The NSM calculated that the share of these imports accounts for only 2-2.5 percent of the total volume of the Russian market. The Rosselkhoznadzor assures that Russia is weakly dependent on poultry imports, as domestic producers fully meet the needs of the domestic market and export excess volumes of products, including to Belarus.

As market participants told the newspaper, in the first quarter of this year, the total volume of poultry meat imports to Russia increased by 21 percent, to 61.9 thousand tons. During the same period, the volume of consumption increased by 3.2 percent, to 1.26 million tons. Sources of Kommersant believe that a decrease in imports may further affect the growth of prices for chicken.

According to the Unified Interdepartmental Information and Statistical System (EMISS) In June, the cost of a kilogram of chilled and frozen chicken meat increased by 6.8 percent and amounted to a record 193.48 rubles. The previous maximum was set in April, when the indicator was at the level of 190.85 rubles. At the same time, Emeat analysts reported an even greater increase in retail prices — up to 270 rubles per kilogram, with a cost range from 200 to 350 rubles.