Three Russian companies specializing in pork production have been granted permission to export their products to China starting from February 28, 2024, the press service of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) reports.
According to the data from the federal center "Agroexport", the company "Rusagro" plans to start pork deliveries to China in March and already has agreements with potential clients, developed interaction schemes, and contract terms.
Additionally, "Miratorg" has also confirmed its registration for exports to China, while the "Velikoluksky Meat Processing Plant" has also obtained permission for shipments.
"We, as a leader in the Russian pork market, not only provide significant production volumes but also maintain a high level of quality and safety of our products, which has allowed us to be among the first Russian companies to gain access to such a complex market as China," said Tatiana Smirnova, Director of the Marketing and Sales Department of the Meat Business Unit at Rusagro.
At the "Prodexpo-2024" exhibition, the company actively presented its products to Chinese entrepreneurs and expanded the pool of future partners. The press service of Miratorg noted that the opening of the Chinese market to Russian pork and the subsequent registration of producers should be seen as a significant achievement of the Russian government, the Ministry of Agriculture, and Rosselkhoznadzor.
"This is an important signal to investors about the need to increase investments in the construction of new capacities. In the coming years, China will import no less than 2-3 million tons of pork per year. Therefore, to ensure large volumes of supplies from Russia while considering the Russian consumer, it is necessary to continue building pig complexes and pork processing plants. This will have a powerful cumulative effect on the economy - from crop production to transport and warehouse logistics, and will also create new jobs," the company representatives noted.
Yuri Kovalyov, the Director General of the National Pig Farmers Union, whose words are quoted in the Agroexport's message, stated that pork deliveries to China will start in the near future. He also added that the number of enterprises authorized to export pork to China will increase. According to Kovalyov, Russia can export up to 200 thousand tons of pork to China annually. "This year, experiments may be conducted regarding logistics mechanisms, payments, and other aspects.
Therefore, if 15-25 thousand tons of pork are shipped to the Chinese market in 2024, it will be a good start. But we hope to reach the level of 150-200 thousand tons within two to three years," the expert estimated. It is worth mentioning that in September 2023, Rosselkhoznadzor announced that China allowed the import of pork from Russia after assessing the risks and analyzing the African swine fever control system.
In December, representatives of the General Administration of Customs of China visited Russia to familiarize themselves with the veterinary surveillance system, the activities of Rosselkhoznadzor research institutes, visit pig farms, and inspect Russian pork producers. On December 19, Russia and China signed a protocol on inspection, quarantine, and veterinary sanitation requirements for pork supplied to the Chinese market.
