Russia's chicken production has reached levels predicted by industry representatives for the first quarter of 2012, leading them to believe that the nation will become self-sufficient in poultry production this year.
 
According to the Russian statistical services, poultry production in Russia reached 774,600 tonnes in carcass weight, an increase of 16.7% or 111,000 tonnes on Q1 of 2011.
 
"Thus, Russia can fully meet the demand for poultry with its own production in 2012. Our needs are currently amounted to 3.5 million tonnes per year, and this year we will produce exactly this figure," said director general of the Russian Poultry Union (Rosptitsesoyuz), Galina Bobyleva.
 
"In 2011 poultry meat production totaled 3.17 million tonnes and this year production growth will be achieved, in particular, due to the fact that out of the top-20 largest poultry production enterprises, 11 will fully reach the designed capacity. They are mainly enterprises located in Belgorod region [Russia's leading agricultural region which currently produce 22% of the total poultry in Russia].
 
"In 2011, the total investment approved by the Ministry of Agriculture for co-financing poultry producing projects from the federal budget exceeded RUB4.6 billion (US$ 146 million) against RUB 3.7 billion (US$ 119 million) in 2010."
 
Running all of the planned facilities at the designed production capacity will allow the industry to increase production to 4.5 million tonnes of poultry meat by 2020, up from 24.6 kilogrammes in 2011, which should increase consumption by 30 kilogrammes per person per year, according to Rosptitsesoyuz predictions.
 
Bobyleva added that Russia's poultry meat import quota will remain - this year amounting to 360,000 tonnes - and that active development of export markets will ensure there will be no overproduction on the domestic market.
 
"Once we have 360,000 tonnes of import on a balance sheet, then we must have a "quota" on the export of poultry too," she said.
 
According to Russian officials, exports have become the main priority for the development of poultry production in Russia. First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov said that Russia will offer up to 250,000 tonnes of poultry meat on foreign markets in 2012.
 
"A promising direction is the poultry market, last year's exports amounted to 20,000 tonnes, and this year we can offer foreign markets 10-12 times more - up to 200,000- 250,000 tonnes of this type of food. By 2015 we are planning to increase this figure to 400,000 tonnes", said Zubkov.
 
Preliminary forecasts from experts suggest Russia could become a major exporter of poultry by 2020, supplying the international market with between 700,000 tonnes and 800,000 tonnes of poultry products.