Image generated with AI.
Russian pork exports have reached a record high in 2025, largely driven by continuing problems in neighboring Belarus.
During the first 10 months of 2025, Russia exported 324,000 tonnes of pork, 26% up compared with the previous year, Yuri Kovalev, chairman of the Russian Union of Pork Producers, outlined during an industry conference in Moscow.
Providing that the positive trend continues through the end of the year, Russia may rank as the world’s fifth-largest pork exporter in 2025, with sales to foreign customers exceeding $1 billion this year, Kovalev stated.
Belarus drives the trend
Nearly a third of all Russian exported pork, 116,800 tonnes, landed in Belarus, Kovalev revealed. Exports to the Russian Western neighbor jumped by 47% since the beginning of the year, Savkina Expert Group, a Moscow-based think tank, calculated.
Belarus consumes around 295,000 tonnes of pork per year, and occasional reports indicate that local farms struggle to meet this demand. Vietnam, the second largest market for Russian pork, imported 75,900 tonnes since the beginning of the year, 13% more than in 2024, Kovalev estimated.
ALSO READ:
Exports to China lag behind forecasts
Exports to China fall noticeably short of the Russian farmers’ expectations. According to Kovalev, China will order 50,000 tonnes of Russian pork this year, up from 40,000 tonnes in 2024.
In late 2023, Agroexport, a Russian government agency facilitating exports, projected annual sales of around 200,000 tonnes to China, aiming for a 10% market share.
A part of the problem is that only three Russian pig companies are licensed to export to China.
Export diversification continues
In general, Kovalev said, Russian farmers expect pork export growth to continue. In 2025, it will account for 8% of the domestic output. The target is to push this figure to 10% or 12%, Kovalev stated. In particular, Kovalev said, Russia has advanced in negotiations to establish pork exports to the Philippines – a huge market that imports between 700,000 and 800,000 tonnes of pork per year. If Russia captures at least 10% of this figure, it will significantly affect overall pork exports, Kovalev added.
Join 18,000+ subscribers Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated about all the need-to-know content in the pigsector, three times a week.
“*” indicates required fields
