Russia plans to reduce poultry import quota by 50%

Russia will cut its poultry import quota to 350,000 tonnes next year, 50% less than this year and about 40% less than originally planned.

The decision was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Victor Zubkov. The government in December 2009 said quotas would drop to 600,000 tonnes in 2011 and 550,000 tonnes in 2012.

The new level is in line with the industry's expectations and will mostly go to the US, said Dmitry Rylko, director of the Institute for Agriculture Market Studies in Moscow.

Russia introduced import quotas in 2003 to help domestic producers. Quotas were cut by 18% this year in a bid to increase national production.

The pork import quota will be unchanged at 472,000 tonnes next year, dropping to 425,000 tonnes in 2012, Zubkov said. The quota for frozen-beef imports will also remain unchanged at 530,000 tonnes next year and the one for chilled beef will remain at 30,000 tonnes, Russian media said.

Russia suffered its worse drought in at least half a century this year, killing crops and driving feed prices higher. Cattle herds have been cut by about 5% in seven regions, including Moscow, Zubkov said. Thirty-one regions increased meat output.