Zootecnica International - World Poultry Journal

Russian poultry farming is being developed rapidly: the country aims to reduce its dependence on imported poultry meat and squeeze US suppliers from their biggest export market, according to Moscow Times.

This expansion could cut in two the share of imports in Russian poultry consumption by 2012 and push the $55 bln US poultry sector, which sent nearly a quarter of its poultry exports to Russia in 2008, to seek alternative markets.

"We are aiming to have 10, maybe 15% of imported meat," said Vladimir Fisinin, president of the Russian Poultry Breeders' Union. This compares with 36% in 2008. Viktor Zubkov, one of two first deputies to Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, has even more ambitious plans: he said that Russia would be self-sufficient in poultry meat and pork by 2012.
Moscow Times also reports that the investment is part of Moscow's plan to reduce dependence on poultry. Self-sufficiency in poultry, analysts say, would create jobs and help ensure that Russia avoids the crises faced by importers when food prices rise.
Russia produced 2.5 mln tons of poultry meat in 2008, or about 64% of what it consumed. In the 2009 year, it plans to raise combined poultry and pork meat volumes by 550,000 tons, the Agriculture Ministry stated on its web site.
The ministry also explained that state banks are expected to provide loans of 72 bln rubles ($2.23 bln) this year for building new animal and poultry farms and slaughterhouses, as well as another 74 bln rubles to complete projects already underway. These loans, particularly in the economic crisis, will be crucial to the success of Russia's poultry drive.

Two years ago, London-traded Cherkizovo signalled its intent to expand in poultry by acquiring Kurinoye Tsarstvo, which was then Russia's fourth largest poultry firm. "We plan the substantial development of our poultry units in Bryansk and Penza, which could lead to a serious increase in output at these two units in 2010-2011. But the implementation of these plans will directly depend on the bank loans we will be able to raise," said Irina Ostryakova, spokeswoman for Cherkizovo, Russia's biggest poultry firm.
Russia's government intends to cut import tariff quotas for the next three years in accordance with the volumes by which it increases its own meat output. Moscow has already cut its 2009 poultry quota by 24 per cent to 952,000 tons.
But achieving Deputy Prime Minister Zubkov's target of self-sufficiency will also depend on market conditions.