In the near future Prymorye cattle-breeders may encounter the problem of selling cattle hides. The only big buyer of raw hides in the region - footwear factory OOO Priko in the city of Ussuriysk is under a threat of bankruptcy. According to the regional Industry Committee the has debts to the budget this year for the amount of 13.8 million rubles, whereas at the end of 2002 debts amounted to mere 4 million rubles.
This resulted in arresting the property of the enterprise. Though, at the joint committee on duty policy of the region administration it was decided to postpone the decision regarding OOO Priko until December. However, if the debt is not repaid within this period, the bankruptcy procedure against the factory will be launched. It will be a substantial loss for local farmers. So far the enterprise helped them to solve the problem of selling cow hides. Last year Priko procured about 130 tons of raw hides.
According to Eugenia Golovachova (a Priko manager), some time ago the factory began to accept also pig skins. Though on this market procurers from Chine emerge from time to time, offering higher purchase prices (75-80 Rubles per a skin against 60-65 rubles payed by Priko), it is more difficult to work with them. The Chinese purchase skins only during winter, provided it is fresh. Salted skins are not bought by them.
Procurers from other Russian regions appear very irregularly, and they select only the best hides not offering proper prices for quality. With Ussuriysk factory it is very convenient under the circumstances.
Until now the enterprise accepted hides and skins from individuals and industrial farms in any quantities, of any quality and any type of processing (fresh and salted), in case of very big suppliers transport was provided.
Vyacheslav Knaub, Deputy Chairman of Primorkraipotrebsoyuz believes, that in case the factory is closed, this niche will stay unoccupied for a long time. For in order to organize procurement when cow herd number is extremely small it is necessary to spent big money on collecting hides in the region, their delivery from the farms. And then for their processing. According to the information of the region department of agriculture in 2003 the cattle head number was 35.8 thousand, which is 21% less as compared with 2002.

Source: RLN
01.12.2003