The crisis affecting the domestic pork producers, as well as the customs barriers that push the imported meat prices up, have determined the top four charcuterie processors to develop their own animal breeding businesses.
"It is obvious the Romanian market is going through a pork crisis and domestic producers cannot supply the raw material that processors want," says Ovidiu Wencz, general manager of Tabco-Campofrio meat products manufacturer, owned by Campofrio Alimentacion of Spain. This year, Tabco-Campofrio will invest 2-3 million euros to stock its pig farms, aiming for 50-60,000 pigs in two years' time. Last year, Tabco-Campofrio recorded sales worth 22 million euros, similar to the results posted in the previous year.
Sorin Minea, chairman of Asociatia Romana a Carnii (Romanian Meat Association) and general manager of Angst Ro charcuterie producer, with sales of 25 million euros, has recently stated the firm will earmark about 4 million euros for animal breeding and other sectors this year. In its turn, the biggest player on the meat processing market, Cris-Tim, with sales of 80 million euros in 2003, announced it had recently completed the construction of animal shelters and that it would come to hold 15,000 pigs this year, a number that will double in 2004.
Moreover, Cris-Tim acquired a farm in Boldesti Scaeni, where it breeds cows, and a fish pond.
Also, Aldis Calarasi, which logged sales worth 40 million euros last year, continues to use a significant volume of imported raw material, particularly coming from the United States and Canada and it has also bought a pig farm. The pork market will change after the arrival of the largest US producer, Smithfield, which has acquired part of Com-Tim assets.
stelian.negrea@zf.ro
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