Russia reportedly expands feed additive imports from Asia

In the first 9 months of 2022, Russia imported 136,000 tonnes of feed additives, 25% more compared with the same period of the previous year, Lyubov Savkina, commercial director of Feedlot, said during a conference Pig Farming-2022 in Moscow.

Overcoming scepticism

The lion’s share of imported feed additives come to Russia from China, Feedlot said. They estimate that this year, 86% of all feed additives imported to Russia were of Chinese origin, compared to 69% in the previous year. Russian companies were reluctant to purchase Chinese feed additives in previous years, but the current crisis turned the tables around.

“In the past, consumers were sceptical of Chinese feed additives, but the product’s high market dominance and lower prices have played a role,” Savkina said, also disclosing that Russian businesses started switching to Chinese feed additives in 2021.

In previous years, the Russian veterinary body Rosselhoznadzor restricted imports from the European Union and North America, citing fears over veterinary safety and the presence of GMOs in the supplied products, among other things. This year, however, the supplies from Western countries were hampered by sanctions, which have not targeted the Russian feed additive industry directly but still prompted some companies to put trade with Russian customers on a halt.

Imports from other nations

“In 2022, they [Russian companies] have to do this [ramp up feed additives import] from China because suppliers from unfriendly countries stopped working with us,” Savkina said, referring to the list of countries that supported anti-Russian sanctions, which involves not only the US and Europe but also some Asia-Pacific states, including South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

Indonesia

Nevertheless, Russia also sees a rise in feed additives imports from some other Asian countries. For instance, Indonesia boosted export to Russia by 270% compared with the previous year, Savkina said, adding that its share in the Russian feed additive imports remains insignificant, limited to only 2%.

South Korea

South Korea has seen sales to Russian customers rise by 37%. Its share reached 0.2%. On the other hand, supplies from Japan dropped by 77% compared with the previous year, Savkina said.

Disruptions

Feed additive imports from countries deemed as friendly are also disrupted. For example, imports from India have shrunken by 21% and Brazil by 46% since the beginning of the year. Moreover, imports from Brazil have stopped since May, according to Savkina.