January 27, 2012

Russia's 2012 poultry meat exports to increase

The first deputy prime minister Viktor Zubkov at a special press conference announced that Russia will shift 250,000 tonnes of poultry meat in 2012 onto the foreign market, an increase by a factor of 12.5 from 2011 numbers.

In 2011, exports amounted to 20,000 tonnes of poultry meat, while in 2010 this figure was equal to15,000 tonnes of poultry meat.

According to forecasts made by the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, in 2015, the volume of poultry meat exported should rise to 400 tonnes per year.

Zubkov, in an official statement, said that the poultry industry today is the most promising and fastest-growing sector in the Russian economy. However, for many years export volume has lagged behind its potential.

The main impetus behind the quick jump in export performance this year is due to the opening of a number of new sales markets - in particular the EU market. Russian producers were given the license to supply poultry meat to the EU in the latter half of 2011.

However, as noted by Zubkov, the main priority for Russia in 2012 will not be, as in recent years, the EU or the CIS countries. Most of the export potential will be realised in the Middle East, with Bahrain in particular

At the same time Russian poultry producers are just beginning to develop the EU market, and will represent a real share in Russian poultry exports not sooner than 2-3 years from now - say representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture.