The development of livestock farming in Russia is considered a promising area of agriculture. It brings in big profits every year. This direction involves the introduction of new technologies and programs to improve the quality characteristics of products. Animal farming provides the market with food that is valuable to consumers. The Ministry of Agriculture constantly proposes new directions for the development of the industry.
Geographical features of livestock farming
The main factor in the location of livestock enterprises has always been the availability of pastures. However, as civilization developed, proximity to the consumer came to the fore. Transportation of feed does not cause problems, while deadlines for perishable products force production facilities to be located as close as possible to the place of sale.
Also, the geographical location of livestock farms is influenced by the climate of the area. Taking into account the above factors, the distribution of industries was as follows:
- Beef cattle breeding is located in the south of the Urals, in the north of the Caucasus and in the Volga region.
- Dairy cattle breeding is concentrated in the Urals and the Far East. Also, farms in this industry are located in the north and northwestern regions.
- Meat and dairy cattle breeding is located in the south of the European part of Russia. Farms in this industry are also found in Western Siberia and the Volga region. They also exist in the Urals.
- Sheep farming is mainly located in Western Siberia, in the steppes of the Trans-Volga region, in the arid regions of the North Caucasus.
- Poultry farming - such farms are found everywhere. However, most of them are concentrated in the south.
Current year status
The development of the livestock industry in the Russian Federation is aimed at increasing production volumes. However, her condition is not entirely clear. Over the past 10 years, production volumes have increased. At the same time, the number of birds increased by 21.2%, and pigs - by 45.9%. However, the number of cattle decreased by 8.4%. The equipment that was used in the livestock sector made it possible to increase production. However, the volumes have not yet reached the required parameters.
According to statistical information, the volumes of livestock production look like this:
- Cattle - in this case we are talking about live weight for the fight. During the year the volume amounted to 28 million tons. At the same time, the industry brought in 294 billion rubles.
- Raw milk – managed to produce 31 million tons during the year. At the same time, the profit amounted to 780 billion rubles.
- Pigs - up to 5 million tons were produced during the year. At the same time, profit from the sale of meat reached 478 billion rubles.
- Poultry – in a year we managed to obtain 6.7 million tons of meat. The profit from its sale reached 507 billion rubles.
- Eggs - during the year we managed to collect 44.6 billion eggs worth 187 billion rubles.
At the same time, total costs for feed additives and compound feed reached 750 billion rubles. It is important to consider that there is a direct dependence of agriculture on exports. It accounts for one third of the total amount of meat and dairy products produced.
Popular industries
The livestock industry in the Russian Federation is distinguished by different areas of development.
Poultry farming
This industry is characterized by dynamic development. On average, poultry farming produces 5 million tons of slaughter weight. In 1 year, per capita it is possible to obtain 34 kilograms of meat. In addition, the industry produces 45 billion eggs throughout the year. This equals 305 pieces per person.
In addition, the industry serves as a source of down, feathers, and meat and bone meal. It also produces droppings that are added to the soil as organic fertilizer. The domestic poultry industry includes more than 600 enterprises that specialize in the manufacture of the following products:
- breeding material;
- broilers;
- poultry meat;
- quail;
- geese;
- eggs;
- ducks;
- turkeys.
It must be concluded that Russian poultry farming has excellent development prospects.It is not only able to fully satisfy the needs of the people of the state, but also compete with the products of foreign manufacturers.
Sheep breeding
This area of livestock farming involves raising different breeds of sheep to produce wool and meat. In addition, sheep provide tasty and healthy milk. These animals are also considered a source of sheepskin and lamb skins. Despite the fact that lamb and sheep milk are not very common in the Russian Federation, this industry is considered in demand. The fact is that sheep wool has unique properties, and therefore is a valuable raw material from which fabrics, knitwear, and carpets are made. This material is also suitable for the production of felting and fur products.
Although sheep breeding is considered a very promising industry, which provides a lot of valuable products, the number of sheep has been steadily decreasing recently. The total number of small ruminants in the Russian Federation is 22,500 thousand heads, with 91.5% being sheep.
Currently, 44 breeds of sheep are raised in Russia. This is done by 229 farms. These animals are also raised on private farms. At the same time, the annual amount of lamb per capita does not exceed 1.53 kilograms.
Despite the small volumes, the industry is considered very promising. This is due to increased demand. Every year the consumption of products increases and the range of their use increases. The industry is supported at different levels - state, local and private. Therefore, it is expected that the situation will change for the better.
Cattle breeding
This direction involves raising cattle, which is intended for meat, milk, and hides. These animals are often used as draft power. In this case, manure is used as fertilizer.
The total number of cattle in Russia in 2018 was at the level of 18 million heads, which corresponds to 18th place in the world. But this allows Russian producers to provide only a small part of the total consumption of meat products. The share of beef here does not exceed 13-15%.
Livestock farming varies depending on the finished products. Moreover, each of the directions has specific features:
- Dairy – more than 70% of the yield comes from milk. This industry involves the use of succulent, high-calorie feed. Therefore, it has become widespread in the suburbs and central regions of the European part of the Russian Federation.
- Dairy-meat - implies the same amount of meat and milk. Such farms are evenly distributed in different regions of the country. This is due to their orientation towards the consumption of natural feed.
- Meat and dairy – most of the feed is meat. This direction involves the use of high-concentration feeds that grow in the steppe areas in the south and Siberia.
- Meat - this industry is more typical for arid regions. To a greater extent, the meat industry predominates in Altai, Stavropol and Kalmykia. There are also similar farms in the Rostov and Volgograd regions. In addition, they are available in Buryatia and the Orenburg region.
Pig farming
This industry is in second place and is experiencing growth today. The following parameters indicate this:
- The pig population in the Russian Federation amounted to more than 25 million heads. This suggests that people are fully provided with pork. In addition, such significant production volumes make it possible to organize a significant export flow to foreign markets.
- The total volume of meat production is 11 million tons.A third of this is pork.
Pigs are considered the most precocious animals. They are undemanding when it comes to food and do not cause big problems. In addition, these animals are considered very productive. They are able to live in different climatic conditions. Therefore, breeding such individuals is considered profitable from an economic point of view. In addition to lard, meat, and leather, pig farming serves as a source of raw materials for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.
Goat breeding
This industry was not widespread until recently, but has recently begun to actively develop. The main reasons include the following:
- There is a high demand for goat milk, which has a number of beneficial properties and is often used to organize a healthy diet.
- The need for hides and wool, which are considered valuable raw materials for light industry. It is often used to make clothing and shoes.
According to rough estimates, the number of goats in the Russian Federation is 2 million animals. Private farms do not show much interest in this industry. At the same time, large farmers, on the contrary, are trying to increase their herds. Large Russian goat breeding farms are located in Altai and the Orenburg region.
Rabbit breeding
Rabbit breeding is considered one of the most common livestock farming areas, which is popular among private owners, small farms and large organizations. Experts promise that this industry will actively develop. They believe that production volumes will increase to 40 thousand tons of meat, which is 6 times higher than today’s parameters.Moreover, today personal farmsteads produce 80% of meat, and the remaining 20% comes from large farms.
This industry is considered promising due to its wide range of products. Rabbits are considered a source of leather, fur, and meat. Animals provide skin and fluff. These individuals can also act as a source of manure and waste. Therefore, they are considered very valuable animals from an economic point of view.
Beekeeping
This is an important branch of agriculture, which allows the production of more than 400 products and helps to achieve balance in nature. In addition, beekeeping increases the productivity of many plants and provides employment to the population.
The main product of this industry is honey. Its consumption has remained stable for many years and is estimated at 30 billion rubles. The honey produced by Russian beekeepers fully meets the needs of the market. This situation persists despite the periodic death of bees and the export of the product to other countries.
At the same time, for successful pollination of crops, 2 times more bee colonies are required than there are now. If this condition is met, Russia can become one of the world's largest exporters of honey and related products. Today the state is only in 39th place in the ranking.
Reindeer husbandry
This livestock industry provides the northern peoples with the most valuable things. It is considered a source of meat, skins, and milk. Individuals are also used as draft force. It is worth noting that approximately 70% of the reindeer herd is located in the Russian Federation. Experts estimate that this amounts to 1.5 million individuals.
At the same time, reindeer farms raise not only reindeer.They also breed spotted and noble specimens, which serve as suppliers of meat products, hides, horns and other goods. Such animals are bred on deer farms located in 19 regions of the Russian Federation.
At the same time, the total production volume is a maximum of 4.2 thousand tons. This is much less than the potential. It is worth considering that reindeer herders manage to get only 2.6 kilograms of meat from one head. This cannot be compared to New Zealand volumes. This country mastered the cultivation of deer only 50 years ago and already receives 13.59 kilograms of meat per animal.
How cost effective is it?
The main factor that does not make it possible to fully attract investment is the low profitability of livestock farming in the Russian Federation. According to analysts, pig farming is considered the most profitable. Its profitability is 20%. Poultry farming provides a little less money. This industry is characterized by an indicator of 17%. At the same time, the profitability of milk production does not exceed 8%.
These low rates are due to a number of factors. This is often surprising because similar agricultural operations in other countries produce higher profits and are considered more profitable. In the Russian Federation, livestock farming is facing problems. These include the following:
- climatic factors;
- widespread manual labor;
- low technological level of production;
- breeding of not very productive breeds;
- low level of veterinary protection, which leads to constant animal diseases;
- insufficient legislative support from the state and low level of funding;
- unsatisfactory level of management;
- lack of high-calorie feed.
To cope with problems, it is worth resorting to cooperation and integration. It is also recommended to create communities of consumers who are interested in receiving high quality products.
Livestock farming in the Russian Federation is considered a promising area of agriculture, which is constantly developing. However, there are many problems in this industry that require solutions at the state level.
