Meat

KYIV, November 25 /UKRINFORM/. In October - November 2009, the consumption of meat in Ukraine dropped by 50%, says Yelyzaveta Sviatkivska, meat expert with the Ukrainian Club of Agrarian Business.

She says the demand slump influenced purchase prices. Particularly, the prices of live cattle of over 400 kilograms reduced over the mid-October - mid-November period from UAH 12 (1 USD - 7.99 UAH) to UAH 10.5 per kilo, the prices of pork from UAH 18 to UAH 15.1 per kilo, and half-carcass chicken from UAH 21 to UAH 20.5 per kilo.

The import of meat also reduced over the period under review, from 45,000 to 35,000 tons against the previous month. "The fall of 10,000 tons is rather essential to Ukraine, which imports the bulk of the meat consumed," Sviatkivska says.

She added the consumption fall owed to the flu epidemic and lower incomes of population.

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A drop of 50% in consumption but only a drop of 10% in prices suggests a very inelastic supply curve.