ATHENS – Meat consumption is recovering in the Greek market following a decline in 2020 due to the pandemic crisis, a survey by ICAP CRIF SA said on Tuesday. More specifically, total net domestic production of meat was volatile in the last two decades, falling steadily in the period 2009-2015, growing by 4.3% in 2016, remaining unchanged in 2017, easing slightly in 2018-2019 (-0.6% and -0.8%, respectively) and shrinking by 3% in 2020.

The survey showed that production of mutton and lamb fell 3% in 2020, pork meat also fell by 4% and poultry declined 4% in the same year compared with 2019, but production of veal rose 1%. Poultry remained the top product with a 54% market share, followed by pork (17%), mutton (15%) and veal (8%). Pork meat was the top product until 2017. The survey showed that the poultry industry is highly concentrated, with the top seven companies accounting for 72% of the market in 2020. Meat exports fell in 2020 by 15% in quantity and by 25% in value, while the average gross profit margin of 34 meat production companies was 15.4% in 2020 and the average gross profit margin of 44 export companies was 13%.

Accumulated turnover of 24 meat production companies was up 2.8% in the 2016-2020 period, while accumulated turnover of 37 meat import companies rose 5.4% in the same period.