OREANDA-NEWS  The authorities of the Altai Republic plan to start supplying canned antlers (young antlers that have not ossified) to China. This was stated at a session of the regional State Assembly by Acting Chairman of the regional government Alexander Prokopyev, quoted by TASS.

As follows from the publication, in the republic, which is the Russian leader in the number of marals, they are going to launch exports after the adoption of the relevant sanitary protocol between the two countries. It is expected before the end of 2025.

The maral breeding industry, according to Prokopyev, has faced economic difficulties against the background of sanctions, and several of the 68 republican enterprises are now in a pre-bankruptcy state. He clarified that this is due to the loss of sales markets.

Young antlers of marals, large representatives of the deer family, are actively used in medicine due to the presence of iron, zinc, calcium, copper, manganese and amino acids in them. Antler baths are popular in Altai, including among tourists, for the treatment and recovery of the body.

The antler cutting season is in May and June. As Vesti wrote, this year the quality of antlers will be high due to the sufficient amount of stored feed and comfortable wintering of animals due to the warm weather.