Russia-Poultry industry.

RUSSIA-INCREASES IN POULTRY BREEDING.

Reuters reports that this statement was made by a powerful Russian poultry breeders lobby.

President of the lobby, the Russian Poultry Breeders’ Union, or Rosptitsesoyuz, Vladimir Fisinin, said that it is not planned to get rid of imports altogether. "We are aiming to have 10, maybe 15% of imported meat, the types we do not produce in sufficient quantities."

Fisinin went on to say that Russia was aiming to accelerate breeding turkey, ducks and geese.

First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, who is in charge of agriculture, said this month the country was aiming to achieve self-sufficiency in poultry meat and pork by 2012.

In 2009, Russia plans to raise poultry meat production to 2.5 mln t from 2.3 mln t (2008). Imports this year are set to fall to 27% of the total consumption of 3.45 mln t from 36% last year, Fisinin said.

This will apparently be achieved through a cut in an annual tariff quota by which the country regulates its imports by 300,000 t to 952,000 t in 2009.

Fisinin said Russia aims to increase poultry output by another 200,000 t in 2010 and by 150,000 t in the 2 following years. Total output should reach 3 mln t by the end of 2012, he added.

Poultry imports to Russia won’t exceed 10% by 2012, Rosptitsesoyuz’s (Russian Poultry Breeding Union) President, Vladimir Fisinin, reported to RIA Novosti. According to him, Russian producers will be able to meet 90% of the consumption by that time.

Fisinin told that last year Russia had imported 36% or 1.23m tons of poultry, while the national production had reached 2.2m tons. "Reduction of imported poultry quota in the current year will afford decrease imports share down to 27%", — he pointed out.

Rosptitsesoyuz’s President forecasts that this year Russian enterprises will produce 2.5m tons of poultry, while the import quota amounts to 952 thousand tons. Egg production growth will total to 500-700 pcs. over the last year — to 38.3 bln. eggs, Fisinin concludes.