Poultry expert, USSEC consultant, and University of Arkansas professor Dr. Craig Coon visited Russia May 21-24. Poultry products are very important for Russian customers, as poultry meat occupies a 47 percent share in the structure of meat production in Russia. In 2016, Russia produced more than 4.6 million tons of poultry meat in slaughtered weight (fourth in the world) and more than 44 billion eggs (fifth worldwide).
On May 22, Dr. Coon, accompanied by Maria Domoroshchenkova, USSEC local consultant, and Rachel Vanderberg and Maria Vecherkovskaya, Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) - Moscow ag specialists, visited the innovative laboratory complex of Cherkizovo Group, the largest producer of meat products in Russia. Cherkizovo Group’s infrastructure includes 8 full cycle poultry production complexes, 15 modern pork production complexes, 6 meat processing plants, 9 feed mills, and grain storage facilities.
Cherkizovo Group’s research center, which is close to Moscow, was started in 2016 with an investment of 350 million roubles (around 70 million USD). It is an innovative laboratory complex equipped with the most modern equipment from American, European, and Japanese manufacturers, which makes it possible to test any of the products produced at the Cherkizovo facilities. The research center also features a highly qualified staff with an average age of 30 looking for new knowledge and technical training.
Dr. Coon shared his expertise in broiler breeding by providing an onsite technical seminar for the employees of the center. His presentations were followed by a lively discussion and an invitation for new visits. These offered the opportunity to further explain the advantages of U.S. Soy or soy in general in poultry rations.
USSEC was a bronze sponsor of the Meat & Poultry / Fish & Seafood Summit, which took place in Moscow on May 23-25, along with International Trade Show VIV Russia, a specialized exhibition for animal husbandry and processing in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. VIV Russia showcases the industry's developments by the Feed to Food concept that brings together supply and demand within the complete animal protein chain.
More than two thousand visitors registered for the summit, which included several technical conferences. Dr. Coon’s presentation at the conference “Poultry Farm 2.0/17” was met with a high level of interest. Attendees were predominantly representatives from Russia’s feed and poultry.
The visit was used to network and get a better understanding of the Russian markets. Currently, Russia could be regarded as one of the most challenging markets. Recent developments have shown that the growth of the local feed and livestock industries are becoming reality. The growth trend seems to continue for the coming years and switching from imports of meat protein to vegetable protein provides opportunities for U.S. Soy exports.