Krasnodar region reduced milk production by 30 thousand tons in 2021

According to the results of 2020, the volume of raw milk production in agricultural enterprises and peasant farm holdings in Krasnodar region (including the Republic of Adygea) amounted to 1.2 million tons, 7.8% more than in 2019 and 27.5% more than in 2013. The region is the second largest producer of raw milk in Russia. The number of cows in 2020 decreased slightly, by 0.4%, to 153.5 thousand, and by 4% less than in 2013. At the same time, milk yields have increased by 33% since 2013 to 7,745 kg per cow in 2020. Krasnodar region took the third place in terms of productivity in Russia by the end of 2020.

However, in 2021, milk production in the region showed a decline. According to the results of the first nine months of 2021, the volume of milk production in the region amounted to 876.4 thousand tons, 3.3% (-29.9 thousand tons) less than in the corresponding period of 2020. This is the most significant decrease in milk production among Russian regions in 2021.

The decrease in milk production was due to unfavorable weather conditions in 2021 and an increase in the cost of milk production. Ekaterina Zakharova also noted that, although Krasnodar region is among the largest milk producing regions in Russia, it is more profitable to engage in crop production in the region.