January 13, 2010

Turkey's poultry production continues to rise

Poultry production in Turkey is expected to be 3-5% higher in 2009 than the year before, and a similar increase in output is predicted for 2010.

Poultry Meat Producers and Poulterers Association (BESD-BIR) General Secretary, Yüce Canoler, said the association expects Turkey's poultry production to continue to increase in 2010.

During the discussion of the poultry industry's past year and expectations for 2010, Canoler mentioned that the association anticipated around a 3-5% increase in 2009 year-end poultry meat production over 2008. He added that "this increase could reach 5% in 2010 over the preceding year."

The BESD-BIR head noted that increasing exports was the major force behind the growth in production.

Canoler adds that Russia has recently announced it would resume accepting poultry imports from Turkey, saying that "officials from both sides are finalising the process to resume exports to Russia." The Russians had banned the import of Turkish poultry products in 2008 due to an avian flu outbreak.

"In the topics of current problems in feed supply, the government should reconsider the recent regulations for genetically modified organisms (GMOs)," Canoler explains.

Canoler notes that producers mostly use soybeans to feed the animals. They have difficulty finding feed in the market and are about to run out of inventory because dealers are reluctant to export new raw materials."