Kyrgyzstan Plans to Beef Up Meat Exports to Iran

Kyrgyzstan plans to export over 350 tons of meat to Iran in 2017.

This was announced by Altynbek Orozbekov, a director of the State Agency for Promotion of Investments and Exports under the Ministry of Economy of Kyrgyzstan, during his trip to Tehran on Feb. 19-23, AKIpress reported on Tuesday.

“In 2016, Kyrgyzstan exported 150 tons of frozen meat to Iran,” he said.

In Tehran, Orozbekov met with local companies to discuss further supplies of Kyrgyz meat to Iran, as well as logistical issues.

The implementation of investment projects in the field of construction in Kyrgyzstan was also discussed during the meetings.

On February 13, Minister of Agriculture Nurbek Murashev said, “Iran has ordered 1,000 tons of meat from Kyrgyzstan, but Kyrgyzstan is unable to complete the order because we’re unable to provide this production volume.”

On Monday, New Zealand signed an agreement with Iran, which paved the way for the resumption of meat exports to the second-largest economy in the Middle East and North Africa region, New Zealand Herald reported.

The Iranian Veterinary Organization and the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries agreed to an arrangement that provides the conditions for chilled and frozen sheep and beef exports to resume with Iran, according to a statement from New Zealand Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy, who witnessed the signing of the agreement in Tehran with his counterpart, Iranian Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati on Sunday.

According to the Association of Cattle Breeders, Iran’s total annual red meat production is 820,000-plus tons while consumption is about 880,000 tons. Yet some 100,000 tons of frozen red meat are imported, which is 40,000 tons in excess of domestic demand.

“Excessive imports are causing problems for livestock breeders. Currently, we have surplus production, which is exported. Rumors of shortage in the market are spread by middlemen trying to increase prices,” Ahmad Moqaddasi, head of the association, was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.

Some 100,000 tons of red meat worth $425.9 million were imported from China, Germany, Australia, the UAE, Brazil, Turkey, Oman and the Netherlands in the past fiscal year (March 2015-16), indicating a 44.8% and 20.3% growth in volume and value respectively compared to the preceding year.

Per capita red meat consumption in Iran’s urban areas has decreased by 25% over the past decade to stand at 11.43 kilograms in the last Iranian year (March 2015-16), according to the head of Agricultural Commission of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture.

“Ten years ago, the share of red meat in household expenditure was 6.1%, which figure has fallen to 5.4% last year,” Kaveh Zargaran was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.

The Ministry of Agriculture said Iran will become self-sufficient in red meat in five years and there will be no more imports.