The Ministry of Agriculture has released figures on the production of canned saiga meat.
According to MIA Kazinform citing the ministry, in 2023, 5,425 kg of canned meat was produced from saiga meat. It was sold in Astana, Kostanay and Arkalyk.
It is noted that only one enterprise was involved in the production of the canned goods - Torgai Et LLP. The production of stewed saiga meat ceased in December 2023.
"Meat processing plants do not set themselves the task of processing saiga meat, as they are mainly focused on slaughtering cattle and small ruminants," the ministry added.
To recap, earlier the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources reported that from 6 October 2023, the state enterprise Okhotzooprom had "removed" 43,503 saiga individuals from the natural environment.
The editorial board of FBRK wanted to find out how much canned stew was produced in Kazakhstan from the meat of the killed saigas, what volume was exported, and what was sold on the domestic market. However, we received no clear answer from either the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources or the Ministry of Trade and Integration.
In response to our latest request, forwarded to the Committee for Veterinary Control and Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, it was reported that between 30 October and 10 December 2023, 1,132 saiga carcasses were shot and delivered to the Torgai Et LLP meat processing plant, from which approximately 11,243 cans of meat were produced. It was also reported that the retail price for one can of stewed meat was 1,000 tenge.
We then asked the question: if, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, 1,132 saiga carcasses were delivered to the meat processing plants, where did the remaining 43,503 carcasses declared by the Ministry of Ecology go? Unfortunately, the question remains up in the air - the editorial board never received an answer.