Fodder shortage compels peasants to slaughter animals

High costs of maintenance and higher price of fodder, after the pasture has been affected by drought, compel the peasants to slaughter their animals. Because most of the animals are kept in domestic households – about 90%, official data are not available yet. At the same time, the unofficial information shows that in most of the settlements, the number of cattle and pigs was halved, at best. “The process of providing fodder is disturbed. If we take into consideration that the price of concentrated fodder is extremely high, it is obvious the number of cattle will drop”, economic analyst Viorel Chivriga says. The analyst forecasts for this year 10-15% price decreases in husbandry. At the same time, he says prices will significantly grow next year. In the first quarter of 2007, Moldova imported 22,000 tonnes of meat against 200 tonnes exported.