Meat Demand Drops in Ukraine Due to Poverty

The main challenge for the meat industry is the decline in meat demand, which is associated with falling real incomes of Ukrainians. This is reported by UNIAN. Experts note that the poorer the consumers, the more bread and potatoes they eat, and the wealthier they are, the more meat and dairy products they consume. In terms of the pork market capacity, or the aggregate demand for this type of meat, it has decreased since the beginning of the full-scale war due to a reduction in the number of consumers because of Ukrainian migration. If we consider pork consumption per person, then in 2022 and 2023, the indicator was slightly higher than in the pre-war 2021 – 21 kilograms per person per year compared to 20 kg before the full-scale war. This is due to lower rates of pork price increases compared to other food products in general. Analysts note that price increases weaken pork demand, as consumers are currently inclined to choose with their wallets, but high loyalty to pork as a ...