Kursk meat plant becomes fourth Russian pork processor approved for China
China’s customs authority has approved the Kursk Meat Processing Plant to supply Russian pork to the Chinese market. The Agropromkomplektatsiya subsidiary is the fourth Russian processor to obtain access since shipments resumed in February 2024.
Fourth Russian processor gains access
China’s General Administration of Customs has certified Kursk Meat Processing Plant, or KMPZ, to supply Russian pork to the Chinese market, Kommersant reported. The processor, based in Zheleznogorsk in Russia’s Kursk region, is part of the Agropromkomplektatsiya group controlled by Sergey Novikov. The regional office of Russia’s veterinary and phytosanitary regulator Rosselkhoznadzor announced the approval on July 17.
KMPZ is the fourth Russian enterprise to receive the necessary certification and gain access to China’s pork market. The decision expands the group of eligible suppliers beyond the three Russian plants initially approved when bilateral trade reopened. Certification gives KMPZ regulatory access, although the source did not disclose expected shipment volumes, contract terms, product categories within the pork range or a date for the first deliveries.
Testing and inspection preceded registration
The approval process included tests of the plant’s products and water at laboratories accredited by the importer. Rosselkhoznadzor also inspected the enterprise, while the competent Chinese authority conducted a video inspection. After the plant and its products were found to comply with Chinese requirements, KMPZ was registered in China’s CIFER Single Window information system.
The procedure illustrates the plant-level controls governing food trade with China. Market access depends not only on an agreement between national authorities but also on the certification and registration of individual facilities. For Russian pork producers, each additional approved processor increases the number of sites able to serve Chinese buyers. Importers, however, will still assess product specifications, pricing, logistics and supplier reliability before placing orders.
Trade reopened after restrictions dating from 2008
Russian exports of pig products to China resumed at the end of February 2024 after temporary restrictions in place since 2008 were lifted. Three Russian enterprises received approval at the initial stage. Rosselkhoznadzor said it had worked with the Chinese side for more than seven years to make Russian pork shipments possible.
KMPZ was registered in 2015 and primarily produces chilled meat, according to Rusprofile data cited by Kommersant. Yuri Derevenchuk is the company’s director, and its charter capital is 600 million rubles. The plant is owned by Agrokomplektatsiya — Kursk, which is undergoing reorganization. Sergey Novikov holds an 85.1% beneficial interest in that company, while Nadezhda Novikova holds 14.9%.
Approval follows a sharp decline in profit
The new market access comes after a year in which KMPZ’s revenue increased but profitability weakened significantly. Kommersant reported that the plant generated net profit of 17.6 million rubles in 2025, down 92.5% from 234.9 million rubles in 2024. Revenue rose 9.9%, from 46.7 billion to 51.3 billion rubles over the same period.
China therefore represents an additional sales channel at a time when the processor’s margins appear to be under pressure. Certification alone does not guarantee sales, and no export target was announced. Even so, becoming the fourth eligible Russian plant broadens KMPZ’s potential customer base and adds another supplier to the trade corridor restored in 2024. The commercial impact will depend on whether the company converts regulatory access into regular orders at prices that support processing and logistics costs.
