Azerbaijan
Irshad Aliyev, the Azeri Agriculture Minister, says that Azerbaijan exported livestock products worth US$200 million in 2002, according to the Interfax news agency. Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan is now entering the international market with its livestock products.
Hungary
Hungary’s Central Statistical Office has reported that farms in Hungary had a total of 770,000 head of cattle as of December 1, 2002, compared with 778,000 head on August 1, 2002, and 783,000 head on December 1, 2001.
Russia/China
A delegation from Changchun in China’s Jilin province expressed its keen interest in investing in livestock breeding projects in the Sverdlovsk region in central Russia during a visit there in mid-January, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.
A shortage of labour and investments means that 200 premises for cattle breeding are currently idle in the Sverdlovsk region.
Iran
Officials in Iran’s Ardebil province say that cold weather and heavy snow ‘harmed’ 300,000 head of cattle in the province in January, according to the IRNA news agency. Shortages of feed are said to have led to major weight losses in cattle. Ardebil normally has very mild winters.
Ukraine
Ukraine’s State Statistics Committee reports that Ukraine had a total of 9.18 million head of cattle as of January 1 this year, according to the Interfax news agency.
The number of cattle at ‘agri-businesses’ was 4.20 million, and on ‘individuals’ farms’, 4.98 million head.
Jordan
Jordan’s Department of Statistics reports that Jordan exported livestock worth JO$7.44 million (US$1= JO$0.71) in the first eleven months of 2002, compared with JO$4.29 million in the same period the previous year.
Jordanian livestock imports were worth JO$29.73 million, as against JO$29.55 million in the same period in 2001. Exports of hides and skins were worth JO$588,000, against JO$830,000 in the January to November period in 2001, while hides and skins imports of JO$850,000 compared with imports during 2001 of JO$508,000.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan’s National Statistics Agency has reported that there were 4.95 million head of cattle in Kazakhstan on October 1, 2002, an increase of 5.8% compared with the same date last year, according to the Interfax news agency.
In the first nine months of the year, 779,300 tons liveweight of livestock and poultry was sold for slaughter, as against 753,500 tons liveweight in the corresponding period in 2001.
Czech Republic
The Czech anti-monopoly office (UOHS) is reported to have fined eight Czech livestock breeding companies a total of Kc2.6 million (US$1 = Kc30) for operating a cartel arrangement from 1998-2001, according to the CTK news agency’s Business News. The companies were said to have exchanged information on their selling prices during the period. They have a combined share of 50% of the livestock breeding market in the Czech Republic.