Belarus is poised to eliminate its reliance on imported genetics in poultry farming over the next 5 to 7 years, as announced by President Alexander Lukashenko during a government meeting in Minsk on October 3.
The import dependence, primarily on the European Union, poses challenges for the stability of poultry farms, according to Lukashenko. He remarked, “Every import delivery carries the risk of introducing new infections, as well as disruptions in supply, which is very relevant.”
Transitioning to Domestic Poultry Genetics
Belarusian scientists are being tasked to explore pathways for transitioning to domestic genetics in the poultry industry. President Lukashenko highlighted his directive for the establishment of a selection and breeding centre in 2023, aimed at meeting the full demand for genetic material. However, he acknowledged that progress on the project has been slower than anticipated, with only 3% of construction completed to date.
Financial implications are also significant; Belarus is reportedly incurring losses of approximately €1.5 million annually due to imported chicks. The average price of these imports is around €6.20, while domestic bred chicks cost around €5.20 each, as outlined by Yuri Gorlov, the Belarusian Minister of Agriculture and Food.
The Path to Growth
The Belarusian poultry industry possesses the technical capability to fully switch over to domestic genetics, Gorlov stated. To eliminate import reliance, the country aims to construct a breeding farm for parent stock, with an estimated project cost of between $5 million and $7 million.
Currently, parent stock is sourced from abroad and supplied to the Dzerzhinsky agro-industrial complex, which has a breeding capacity of 2 million chicks annually. Presently, Belarus meets 56% of its parent stock needs in the broiler meat sector domestically, while in the egg production segment, all farms operate directly with foreign suppliers, as noted by Lukashenko.
Following Russia’s Example
By setting ambitious goals to reduce the reliance on foreign genetics, Belarus is mirroring the advancements made by Russia. Sergey Lakhtyukhov, General Director of the Russian Union of Poultry Producers, indicated that Russia has successfully reduced its dependence on hatching eggs to less than 10% over recent years.
He noted a significant decline in imports, dropping from an estimated 700 million hatching eggs annually to 400 million in 2022 and further down to 300 million in 2023.
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