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In total, meat product exports over the period under review grew by 10% year-on-year, to US$712 million.
Ukraine in 2019 updated its historic record of poultry exports, having supplied to foreign markets 414,000 tonnes of poultry, which was 25.8% up from 2018.
"Last year, the 2018 absolute record in terms of poultry exports (329,000 tonnes) was updated, as export shipments in 2019 boosted by more than a quarter (25.8% up), to 414,000 tonnes worth US$579 million," the press service of the National Scientific Center "Institute of Agrarian Economy" said on March 2, referring to its deputy director Mykola Pugachov.
Read alsoUkraine in world's top 3 poultry meat suppliers to EU in 2019 – report
The expert says Ukraine strengthened its position in the international market for meat products mainly due to chicken meat.
In total, the country's meat product exports over the period under review grew by 10% year-on-year, to US$712 million.
The European Union member states, as well as countries of the Middle East and the CIS were the major buyers of Ukrainian meat in the past year, while the EU states accounted for 28% of Ukraine's meat exports in monetary terms.
The Netherlands topped the ranking of Ukrainian meat importers for the third year in a row (15.8%). Then come Saudi Arabia (13.5%), Slovakia (8.5%), Belarus (6.9%), Azerbaijan (5.9%), Iraq (4.9%), UAE (4.8%), and Kazakhstan (4.1%).
"This year, domestic exporters have already faced a temporary ban on chicken meat shipments to the European Union. So it is difficult to predict Ukraine's general export prospects for meat products in 2020," the press service said.
Read alsoUkraine to become global leader in terms of poultry production growth in 2020– economy minister
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine in 2019 exported 134,260 tonnes of poultry meat to the European Union, having become one of the world's top three suppliers to the EU, according to the report of the European Commission
On January 23, the European Union temporarily suspended imports of Ukrainian poultry and chicken meat products over the bird flu outbreak in Ukraine's Vinnytsia region.
In mid-February, EU member states supported poultry flu zoning in Ukraine, which lifts the ban on poultry imports from all over Ukraine, except for the Vinnytsia region zone. The official decision by the European Commission has not been published yet.
UNIAN memo. Ukrainian agribusinesses in 2019 produced 1 million tonnes of fresh and frozen poultry and by-products, according to the State Statistics Service.