Maral farming in Altai krai. Status assessment and targets

The article offers a detailed analysis of the maral and deer farming in 2016-2020 by comparing the number of maral and sika deer livestock, their productivity, as well as the industry productivity. The objective of the study is to examine the current maral breeding situation in Altai Krai, and to analyse the main problems and prospects of its development. According to the production analysis of the given region’s enterprises, the shares of the maral and deer farming gross product are due to different economic and production opportunities, as well as natural, climatic, landscape and other factors. Nevertheless, this does not prevent the development of velvet antler deer farming at the foothills of Altai Krai. The study showed that maral and deer farming is not developing uniformly in Altai Krai. By 2020, the number of enterprises engaged in maral breeding has decreased from 27 to 24. The number of marals, however, increased just slightly – by 750 heads. Sika deer are still bred at 10 enterprises, but the number of livestock has decreased by 120 heads. The number of velvet antler deer in the region has increased by 2.5% over the analysed period. In 2020, the quantity of produced velvet antlers has increased that indicator in 2016 by 3,172.5 kg (8.7%), despite a decrease in the number of enterprises. The low demand for the sika deer antlers leads to the extermination of this species and smaller velvet antler yields. In 2020, 743 sika deer velvet antlers were produced, which is 340 kg fewer compared to 2016.