EDITORIAL
In Russia, Where’s the Beef?
Russia’s Agriculture Minister breathlessly announced last week: ” By our estimates, by 2020 export volumes could be up to 400,000 tons of poultry and 200,000 tons of pork. That’s $1.5 billion to $2 billion a year compared with a combined 10,000 tons of exports last year.”
A sixtyfold increase in meat exports sounds impressive, doesn’t it? But there are three small problems with the Russian data.
First, for some contrast, in just the first four months of this year the United States exported more than 600 tons of pork alone. That’s to say nothing of poultry.
Second, the careful reader will notice that the Agriculture Minister was merely predicting what might happen in the future. What’s actually happening now? The Moscow Times reports: “According to figures from the Russian Poultry Union, poultry meat production rose 16 percent in the first half of the year to 1.33 million tons. The group estimated that Russia imported 120,000 tons over the same period.” At 16% every six months, it would take three years for Rusisa’s meat production to merely double. A sixty-fold increase in ten? Hardly likely.
And finally, the Agriculuture Minister appears to be overlooking two facts which apparently have no significance to him, but which are probably more important to average Russians: The nation’s economy has imploded and Russians are going rapidly extinct. The impoverished and the deceased, of course, are rather famous for their moderate consumption of meat products. So a rising export surplus isn’t exactly something to be pleased about, no more than is Russia’s vast surplus of crude oil, which Russia can find no viable domestic purpose to utilize.
The world saw many of these hilariously dishonest, demented propaganda outbursts in Soviet times. It should not be surprised to see them once again, now that Russia is ruled by a proud KGB spy. But today’s Russia is far less able to sustain itself in the face of such insanity than was the USSR, and its days of doing so are clearly numbered.
La Russophobe 
In a few months, the russians will be drinking oil and eating gas? This will improve their suicide rate? A few days ago, I read 1 million, and now 10 million?
Russia swelters in heatwave, many crops destroyed
MOSCOW, July 16 (Reuters) –
Soaring temperatures across large swathes of Russia have destroyed nearly 10 million hectares of crops and prompted a state of emergency to be declared in 17 regions.
Read more: http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/73966/#ixzz0trDjE0EF
Les wrote: “In a few months, the russians will be drinking oil and eating gas?”
Wow, Les, you have a lot of reasons to gloat: a weird heat wave that hit Russia, hated by you, while missing your beloved USA and Ukraine… Or did it?
Your link says: “http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/73966/#ixzz0trDjE0EF
MOSCOW, July 16 (Reuters) – Saturday could see temperatures in Moscow hit 37 Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit), which would break the previous record of 36.6C. set in 1936.”
Only 98.6 Fahrenheit? Wow. For us, Americans, this looks like a very cold temperature:
http://uprisingradio.org/home/?p=14435
A severe heat wave has been scorching the nation all week with above 100 degree temperatures from New York to Los Angeles.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_15516748
Triple-digit heat wave sends many to pools, beaches, seeking relief from the late-breaking sunshine
The above-normal heat – as much as 10 degrees in some areas – is expected to peak Friday and last through Sunday. Temperatures could soar to 105 degrees in the San Fernando Valley and 109 in the Antelope Valley.
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“In a few months, the russians will be drinking oil and eating gas?”
Will Americans be drinking oil? Well, thanks to BP, we already are.
How about your beloved Ukraine?
http://www.segodnya.ua/news/14154618.html
In Kiev today, record heat. All of Europe is suffering from the heat.
Today in Kyiv weather forecasters predict a record-breaking heat – plus 37 degrees Celcius (98.6 Fahrenheit). The same heat is all over Ukraine.
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“In a few months, the russians will be drinking oil and eating gas?”
At least the Russians have oil and gas. Ukrainians don’t have even that. Russia will sell gas and use the revenue to buy grains. But what will Ukraine be able to sell to avoid hunger? Pierogi? Salo in chocolate?
““According to figures from the Russian Poultry Union, poultry meat production rose 16 percent in the first half of the year to 1.33 million tons.”
OK, 1.33 million tons per 6 months means 2.66 million tons per year.
“At 16% every six months, it would take three years for Rusisa’s meat production to merely double. ”
Those readers, who have managed to get through the 6th grade of school, would be familiar with the concept of compounding, and would realize that if the growth is 16% every 6 months, then in 2.5 years the volume would grow by a factor of (1.16)^5 = 2.1, thus more than doubling in 2.5 years. In 5 years, this will be more than quadruple, in 7.5 years – 8-fold, in 10 years = 16 fold.
Thus if the 16% growth every 6 months continues, in ten years, the poultry output of Russian will be 2.66 million * 16 = 42.5 million tons. That’s an enormous amount. Surely, Russia will be able to export 600 thousand tons (that is, 0.6 million tons) of poultry out of this 42.5 million.
“A sixty-fold increase in ten? Hardly likely.”
If the total output increases 16-fold, then the export portion can easily increase hundreds-fold. But one needs at least 6 years of elementary school to understand that.
Unlikely that Russian exports will increase Ostap the Bender, as Russia currently has to import massive amounts of poultry in order to supply domestic demand.
Of course a real (or competent) economist would know that.
But given that you are a ReTaRd….
By the way ReTaRd, even the Russian government considers it unlikely that domestic producers will ever be able to supply domestic demand
Russian poultry producers can celebrate their victory in this battle, but the war is not over. The fact that no official statement has been made on a poultry import ban or radical cuts in import quotas shows that the Russian authorities are not confident that domestic producers can meet market demand.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20100604/159302626.html
What’s up with the KGB spies? Did they eat all the Beef?
LA RUSSOPHOBE RESPONDS:
No, Putin and Medvedev ate. Nothing left even for KGB.