Iran's domestic supply of red meat fell 11% y/y in October

Figures by the Statistical Center of Iran (SCI) show the domestic supply of red meat in the country dropped by 11% year on year in October amid efforts by the government to stabilize soaring prices through increased imports.

SCI figures published on Sunday showed that the supply of red meat from Iranian abattoirs had reached 34,372 metric tons (mt) in the calendar month to late October 21.

The figure was an increase of 2% from the previous calendar month, said the SCI.

It said beef had accounted for 18,228 mt or 53% of the total red meat supply sourced from producers inside Iran in the month to late October while lamb and mutton output had reached 12, 433 mt and 2,871 mt, respectively, over the same period.

Abattoirs also supplied 840 mt of other types of red meat, including camel meat, in the calendar month to late October, it added.

The SCI figures showed the domestic supply of lamb and mutton had dropped by nearly 15% in the calendar month to October compared to the same month last year.

The decline in output of red meat in Iran comes amid reports suggesting the country has significantly increased its imports of various types of meat, especially lamb, to control soaring prices in the domestic market.

An industry source said last week that meat imports into Iran had more than quadrupled in the six months to late September compared to the same period last year.

Afshin Sadr Dadras, who leads Iran’s Association of Light Livestock, said that the country had spent nearly $740 million on the imports of 126,000 mt of red meat in the April-September period.

SCI figures also come as an official in the Iranian ministry of agriculture told the official IRNA news agency on Saturday that the country eyes to increase its annual red meat output to 0.923 million mt, without elaborating on a timeframe.

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