Farmers of Kazakhstan are ready to boost poultry farming

Philippe Caldier, Independent journalist - ph@caldier.fr

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According to R.I. Charipov, President of the Union of Poultry Farmers of Kazakhstan, investments and modernization of the farms will provide more poultry and eggs to the domestic markets, while boosting the poultry exports. 

Could you present in a few words poultry production in Kazakhstan?

Currently, there are 67 large and small poultry farms in the Republic of Kazakhstan, of which 35 are for egg, 25 for meat and 7 for breeding (Table 1).In 2020, the decrease in the number of poultry is associated with the aggravated epizootic situation (outbreaks of bird flu), the loss of poultry amounted about 2 million heads. During the outbreak of bird flu, egg poultry farms were mainly affected. Regarding the production of poultry meat, it increases annually due to the expansion, modernization and new introduced poultry farms (Table 2).What about poultry meat market (production, imports and exports)?

Due to the increase in production, the share of poultry meat imports in the domestic market is steadily decreasing, passing from 55% in 2019 to 41,6% in 2021. 

By 2027, imports will drop to only 50,000 tons for socially vulnerable segments of the population.

Production per capita in 2020 in the whole country amounted to 12.6 kg/person, while consumption is over 21 kg/person. By 2027, we plan to increase consumption to 31 kg/capita, which once again indicates the need to increase our own production capacities and stimulate production growth.

What about egg market?

The consumption of eggs by the population has increased three times over twenty years, passing from 1,516.7 million eggs were consumed on the domestic market in 2000, to 4 830 million eggs in 2017 and 4,905 million in 2021 (Table 3). Correspondingly, the per capita consumption of eggs also increased. If in 2000 per capita consumption was 102 eggs, then in 2017 – 241 eggs, and in 2021 – 258 eggs. In 1990, the per capita consumption of eggs was 225.What are the actual main issues of Kazakhstan poultry production?

They are numerous :

  • The absence of a domestic breeding base for poultry farming and the high cost of imported breeding day-old chickens for meat and egg production from outside the Republic of Kazakhstan.
  • Dependence on imported genetics in poultry farming.
  • High price for raw materials and lack of a state forage fund.
  • High interest rates on loans, debt burden on loans to poultry farms.
  • Lack of vaccines against especially dangerous diseases of birds.
  • Lack of qualified personnel and specialists in poultry farming.
  • Seasonal influence per year, the selling wholesale price for poultry products changes on average 4-5 times.
  • Administrative barriers, regulation of prices for poultry products.

However, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan has developed a program for the development of the agro-industrial complex for 2021-2025.

The goal of the program is to multiply the production of the agro-industrial complex by two and a half times, to double its exports and to provide domestically produced socially significant food products

Today, a roadmap for Poultry Farming is also being developed to bring solutions to these main issues. No doubt that the next Kazakhstan International Poultry Farmers Forum will also help to answer to these numerous issues.