Former USSR Update: Agricultural and Trade Report, October 25, 1996. Decline inGross FSU Ag Output to Slow in 1996 as Grain Production Recovers; Meat Imports Remain Strong

摘要

Former Soviet Union FSU gross agricultural output will continue to fall in 1996,but at a significantly lower rate than in 1995, due to a rebound in grain output. Increased grain production and continued reduction in feed use, caused by further contractions in the region's largest livestock producing countries, are expected to result in near record low grain imports in 1996/97. Russian meat imports, driven mainly by poultry meat, are expected to exceed last year's record highs, prompting increased calls in Russia for greater protectionism. In a recent move aimed at protecting domestic producers and processors, Russia imposed measures to restrict the import of sugar from Ukraine, its largest supplier.