Broiler production in the Republic of Kazakhstan is set to double by 2020 to reach 246,000 metric tons.
The Kazakh government has made supporting domestic poultry production a priority and, last year, the country's Ministry of Agriculture released a seven-year agricultural development program offering subsidies for feed, day-old chicks and hatching eggs, along with support for the construction of new poultry farms and the modernization of existing operations.
Although the sector has witnessed significant modernization over recent years, approximately 40 percent of the country's poultry production is still carried out in backyard operations. Among problems that need to be addressed to allow production to modernize further are a lack of qualified staff; underused capacity; biological and food security threats; high production costs; a lack of locally developed stock; and poor-quality, high-cost veterinary medicines.
Chicken meat demand rising
While beef is the primary meat consumed in the country, demand for poultry is rising. In 2012, Kazakhstan consumed 315,100 tons of poultry meat - more than double that consumed in 2005. However, the country is largely dependent on imported poultry meat to satisfy domestic demand. In 2012, only 40 percent of the poultry meat consumed in Kazakhstan was produced on the home market.
