MOSCOW, April 23 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia plans to increase its milk production by one million tonnes to 33 million tonnes by the end of the current year, the press service of the Agriculture Ministry said.
In the first three months, the country’s milk production went up by 4.5 percent (279,000 tonnes) as compared to the same period of 2011, and reached 6.482 million tonnes, the press service said.
The growth of the milk production was reported from 64 regions of Russia. The biggest hike in the milk output was reported from the Republic of Bashkortostan (the 21.4-percent growth), the Republic of Dagestan (16.5 percent), the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria (12.2 percent), the Voronezh Region (15.1 percent), the Sverdlovsk Region (12.0 percent), the Belgorod Region (10.2 percent) and the Vladimir Region (ten percent), the press service said.
In the period under review, the cattle population grew by 233,000 heads, including the population of cows increased by more than 195,000 heads, the ministry’s press service said.
The Russian Agriculture Ministry stated that hike of the milk production and growth of the cattle population was registered in the first three months of the year for the first time over the past 22 years.
The upward dynamics was also maintained in the pig and poultry farming, the press service said.
In January-March 2012, the pork production (in life weight) went up by 4.2 percent, while the poultry output grew by 16.3 percent, the Agriculture Ministry’s press service said.