May 30, 2011

Belarus to ship 60% of dairy production in 2015

Belarus intends to export approximately 60% of its dairy production in 2015, according to Deputy Prime Minister, Valery Ivanov, at a joint session of both Houses of the Belarusian Parliament on May 27.

The export of Belarusian dairy products has increased from 2.2 to four million tonnes over the recent years. The national programme for the milk industry development was approved in 2010.

"We plan to export 59% of dairy products in 2015. It will yield more than BYR$2.5 billion (US$821,018), that is 2.5 times more than 2009," Ivanov said.

He added that the milk and meat industry are undergoing reforming. There are plans to introduce considerable changes in the cattle stock feeding system.

There are 109 pig-breeding complexes with 2.5 million head in Belarus. The complexes produce 350,000 tonnes of pork on a live weight basis. About 72 new complexes and 38 breeding workshops are set to be built in 2011-15. New pig species will be brought to Belarus. There are also plans to built five pedigree plants in Belarus, and facilities to manufacture combined fodder. It will help to breed up to 3.5 million head of pig stock by 2015 and increase the pork production up to 620,000 tonnes a year.

Regarding poultry breeding, Ivanov said that it is one of the most dynamically developing branches of the Belarusian cattle breeding. By 2015, Belarus plans to produce about 600.000 tonnes of poultry on a live weight basis, which is twice as much as 2009. During the current five-year term, 407 poultry keeping facilities will be upgraded, 503 new facilities will be built, 107 facilities will be redesigned, and 22 new poultry meat processing workshops will be constructed.