2024-08-14 07:26:43
Butchering affects the primary producer of livestock. Ceagrodex manager Ernesto Jimeno Durán said that the price of meat has been stable in Huila, despite competition with other proteins. He said that what affects producers the most is cattle rustling, clandestine slaughter or butchering and uncontrolled sale.
HUILA DAILY, ECONOMY
By: Gustavo Patiño
According to Fedegan, between 2015 and 2023, there was a significant reduction in beef consumption in Colombia, going from 20.3 to 17.7 kilograms per inhabitant, while other animal proteins such as chicken, pork and fish, increased in consumption by 5.4, 5.6 and 2.9 kilograms per inhabitant, respectively.
Consumption in Colombia
For its part, the 3Tres3 portal, dedicated to the analysis of pork production and consumption in the world, states that, in the country in 2023, the consumption of animal protein such as beef, pork, chicken and fish was 76.5 kilograms per inhabitant, a figure very similar to that of the previous year. “Between 2014 and 2023, pork was the animal protein that showed the greatest growth in consumption (82.4%), going from 7.4 to 13.5 kg/inhabitant.”
«In second place is fish with an increase of 55.7% and in third place is chicken meat with 22.2%. On the other hand, beef showed a decrease of 10.2% in the period of analysis, going from 19.7 to 17.7 kg/inhab in that order» states the report of the portal and points out that, in the period analyzed, the interannual consumption of meat has grown by 2.4% with pork showing the best performance by showing a growth of 7% year-on-year, followed by fish (5.4%) and chicken (2.3%), while beef has shown a negative percentage (-1.1%).
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Consumption in Huila
According to Invima, in 2023, each inhabitant in the department of Huila consumed 18.20 kilograms of beef, which translates into a total of 21,077,111 kilograms throughout the department during the year, that is, 57,746 kilograms per day, with 340 cattle needed to meet the demand. For its part, the per capita consumption of pork in the department was 10.3 kilograms, with a total of 11,928,255 kilos, which translates into 32,608 kilos per day, with 430 pigs needed to meet the demand.
Neiva, in the department of Huila and due to its population density, is the municipality with the highest meat consumption, with 6,829,604.60 kilograms in 2023, which translates into a consumption of 18,711.25 kilograms per day, requiring 110 cattle to meet the demand. As for pork, the Huila capital consumed a total of 3,865,106 kilograms in the year, that is, 10,589 kilos per day, with a total of 139 pigs to meet this demand.
The price is stable
In the department of Huila, according to Ernesto Jimeno Durán, manager of the Huila Agroindustrial and Exhibition Center – Ceagrodex, the price of meat has been stable for six months, “there was definitely a significant increase in the price of meat due to the difficulty in obtaining livestock, but today it is stable, consumption has undoubtedly been affected, since there are a series of proteins that compete in an important way such as chicken, fish, pork, which is also red meat.”
“But there has been significant competition from eggs, so there are a number of substitutes that affect the red meat market, but at the moment prices are stable. In pork we have just gone through the Sampedrina season, which generates significant demand and therefore makes prices rise a little, but they have now stabilised again,” said the manager.
Egg consumption increased
According to Fenavi, per capita egg consumption has increased since the pandemic, “after 2019, the egg market changed. In fact, the product acquired greater relative importance in the basic food basket. Certainly, per capita egg consumption has increased since the pandemic, due to its use in home baking, other forms of lunch preparation and its traditional presence at breakfast.”
«From the beginning of 2022 to the end of 2023, the sector entered a phase of production (supply) growth, but the price did not plummet, not even at the times when the highest production levels were recorded. This dynamic is fundamentally explained by the growth in demand, which was accelerated by: 1) changes in consumption patterns, derived from the pandemic; 2) the substitution effect, a product of the inflationary shock, and 3) monetary transfers, which greatly impacted the demand for food,” states the entity’s special report, ‘2022 – 2024 How did poultry farming fare last year? What expectations does the poultry industry have for this new year? Analysis’.
Comes from Caquetá
Durán assured this media that meat production in the department is not enough to meet demand, so it is necessary for the animals to be transported from other departments, “between 55 and 60% of the meat (consumed) in the department of Huila comes from the department of Caquetá, fortunately we have this proximity with San Vicente del Caguán which makes it relatively easy for the meat to reach Neiva.”
“Unfortunately, the conditions of the road, which has been worked on for a long time, mean that sometimes in winter the meat has to go around Florencia and therefore the journey is longer, but one of the most important suppliers of meat for Huila is the department of Caquetá,” he said and affirmed that this proximity is what allows to avoid further increase in the price of protein in the department as a consequence of transport.
The butchering generates affectation
However, beyond competition with other animal proteins, beef in the department of Huila is affected by butchering, which in turn encourages cattle rustling and is strengthened by the ease with which some stores distribute meat of dubious origin, which often comes from slaughter in pastures in unhealthy conditions.
“What affects us the most at this moment, and there have been some important actions but it is necessary to advance in controls, definitely the butchering, which is what is facilitated by the lack of control of meat from meat shops, the truth is that a lot of illegal meat arrives here, some slaughtered in neighboring towns and municipalities, but a lot of meat from butchering also arrives, which is what most affects the primary producer, the peasant, the small rancher, because this meat is from animals that have been stolen and are slaughtered in the pastures in deplorable conditions and are arriving in the city of Neiva,” said Ernesto Jimeno Durán.
Possible diseases
And the effects are not only for producers or ranchers, but also for the consumer, since the meat could be exposed to multiple microbiological agents present in the hands, utensils or equipment with which it is slaughtered, in addition to the use of non-potable water and the lack of refrigeration, favoring the proliferation of microorganisms that are already present. This generates zoonotic diseases in humans such as hydatidosis, brucellosis, leptospirosis and trichinosis, in addition to conditions such as salmonellosis, hemolytic uremic syndrome or foodborne botulism.
Durán called on consumers to be vigilant. “Verify the origin of the meat in the stores. There are many stores that are working legally and responsibly. But there are many meat stores that facilitate butchering. They facilitate the activities of cattle rustlers, which affect the most vulnerable link in the chain, which is the farmer.”