Mid-term prospects for the Hungarian pork sector

Nyárs, Levente

Keywords: pork production, market, prospects

Demand for animal-based products is increasing in countries with dynamically developing economies and those on the rise; primarily India, China and Russia. Their production capacity, however, cannot keep up with the growth in paying demand, forcing them to import both agricultural raw materials and highly processed products. Increasing the production of animal-based produce requires ever more fodder, thus also increasing global demand for cereals and oil-yielding plants. The production of bio-fuel is creating growing competition for pig and poultry farmers. Hungarian pig and poultry farmers are unable to substantially influence the processes taking place on either the global or the EU markets and are, therefore, forced to adapt to their economic environment, making their position that of price-accepters. As a result of their size and production potential they must survive in the niche markets left by the “big ones”.
According to our various models, domestic pig stock could reach 3.9-5.1 million units by 2013. Hungary can be expected to remain a net importer of live pigs, as well as having to import pork meat. Development opportunities for pig farmers will in the future be fundamentally determined by the existence of their own fodder base.

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