Romania's meat production, up for beef and sheep, drops for pork and poultry in April

Meat production of beef, sheep and goat rose in April 2018, as opposed to the previous month, while pork and poultry production dropped in the analyzed period, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). 

Compared to April 2017, there was a growth only for poultry, while for the rest of the species (beef, sheep/goat and pork) a setback was registered. 

Thus, in April 2018, beef production was of 9,240 tons, up 27.2 percent, as opposed to March 2018 (7,267 tons), but down 21.9 percent as opposed to April 2017, when only 11,833 tons were achieved. The number of sacrificed cattle was of 56,000, up 19.1 percent as opposed to the previous month, but down 21.1 percent from April 2017. 

Pork production registered in April surpassed 31,757 tons, 13.6 less than in the previous month, when 36,743 tons were achieved and 9.2 percent as compared to April 2017. In April 2018, as many as 373,000 pigs were slaughtered, 13.5 percent fewer than the previous month and 10.8 percent fewer from the same period of last year. 

In regard to the production of mutton and goat meat obtained in April, the INS data show a significant rise as compared to March 2018, of 3.4 times, from 8,034 tons to 27,506 tons. On the other hand, from April 2017 there was a drop of production of 3.8 percent, from 28,602 tons of sheep/goat carcass. The sacrificed animals of this species reached 3.457 million heads, 3.7 times higher in April 2018 as compared to the previous month, and by 6.9 percent more as compared to the same period of last year. 

According to the INS data, poultry meat production in April 2018 surpassed 37,818 tons, dropping by 5.4 percent from the previous month, but by 7.6 percent more than in April 2017, whereas poultry slaughter dropped by 5.6 percent from March 2018, but rose 10 percent from the same period of 2017, up to 22,071 million heads.