Meat Production on Rise in Ukraine

KIEV - May 31/02 - SNS -- Cattle numbers and red meat production levels in the Ukraine are rising relative to last year, suggest numbers developed by the country's agriculture department.

Cattle numbers on farms in the country rose 2% in April, compared to March, closing the month at 10,336,700 head.

In percentage terms, most of the increase was on small farms, where the herd grew 3.2% compared to a 0.8% rise on specialized farms.

With the change, small farms now raise 52.3% of the country's livestock, compared to 48.4% last year.

Red meat production since the beginning of the year now stands at 769,100 metric tons (MT), up 5.5% from the same period last year.

Total meat production, including poultry, is expected to rise 21% this year to 2.8 million MT.