Milk and meat are becoming a shortage for Ukrainians - the government is optimistic

Ukraine continues to face a shortage of milk and meat, which negatively affects both consumers and the country's export potential. However, as the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitaly Koval stated, the country currently has every opportunity to become a leader in milk and meat production. According to him, natural conditions and lower cost of production give Ukraine competitive advantages in the world market.

Currently, in order to stimulate the development of animal husbandry, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food is proposing to increase subsidies for farmers. For example, it is planned to allocate 7 thousand hryvnias for each cow and 2 thousand hryvnias for each sheep. This support should help farmers to increase livestock numbers and increase productivity. The government is also considering the issue of helping farmers to purchase high-quality breeding material. After all, this will allow to increase the production of milk and meat by improving the genetic characteristics of animals. It should be noted that earlier in Ukraine there were, for example, 20 million sheep, and now there are only 2 million of them, so the Ministry is currently making animal husbandry its priority, which has received support even from plant breeding associations.

Meanwhile, prices for pork, for example, may rise by 5-10% by the end of the year due to the increase in feed prices. Currently, prices are influenced by several factors, including feed costs, seasonal fluctuations in the balance of supply and demand, and changes in consumer preferences. We understand that the increase in the cost of feed is one of the key factors of additional pressure on pork producers. After all, due to the increase in feed prices, the cost of raising pigs increases, which can lead to a further increase in purchase prices for meat. At the same time, producers are forced to adjust prices for consumers to cover increased production costs. At the same time, traditionally in autumn, the demand for pork in supermarkets decreases, as consumers focus on other types of protein. This affects the temporary stabilization of prices. But as the winter holidays approach, the demand for pork may increase. And this will potentially lead to an increase in the price of products by 5-10%.

So far, price fluctuations have affected not only meat. After all, eggs were added to the price. However, this is a typical trend against the background of autumn supply reduction. However, this time the prices skyrocketed — at some point they immediately added 10 hryvnias and cost up to 75 hryvnias for a dozen.