OREANDA-NEWS.   The National Pig Farmers Union has published a listing of Russia’s 20 largest pork producers on its website. Cherkizovo Group rose from third to second place based on the results of 2013.

According to the Union’s data, Cherkizovo Group had a 6.1% share of total commercial pork production in the Russian Federation.

After completing a large-scale investment program in Central Russia in 2013, the company’s pork production increased by more than 50% from 103,000 to 158,000 tonnes. The Group’s modern pork complexes are located in Lipetsk, Tambov, Voronezh, and Penza regions.

“We are proud of the results we’ve achieved in our pork division,” said Cherkizovo CEO Sergei Mikhailov, commenting on the Union’s data. “These figures are the result of an enormous amount of work and major investments. We invested more than half a billion dollars in establishing commercial pig farming from scratch in a number of Central Russian regions, and today we’re producing more than one and a half million head of pigs per year at our complexes. The division has a high calibre team that includes experts from various countries with a wealth of experience. We’re working to make our pork division as cost-effective and efficient as possible.”