October 4, 2006

Producers see Russia's 2006 poultry output at 1.55 million tonnes

Russia's poultry output is expected to hit 1.55 million tonnes this year, or 180,000 tonnes more than in 2005, the Russian Union of Poultry Producers said Tuesday (Oct 3), reported news agency Prime-Tass.

As a result, the output will reach the 1990 production level, when the industry was well developed. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the sector saw a steep decline in production.

The union said that large imports were impeding further domestic output growth.

Russia's 2007 poultry output is expected to increase by around 250,000-350,000 tonnes, unless the government takes stricter import rules.

At the current growth rate Russia's domestic output would satisfy only around 20 percent of the domestic demand by 2010, the union warned.

Russia is the biggest importer of poultry in the world.