The Russian government says the country plans to start supplying frozen poultry to China before the end of 2018.
Officials from Russia’s Rosselkhoznadzor, the federal service for veterinary and phytosanitary surveillance, and Chinese customs officials reached an agreement on November 7 regarding China’s requirements for the supply of frozen poultry.
Russia had been waiting several years to gain access to the major market of China, and is expected to help the Russian poultry industry, which has suffered the setback of not having access to markets in Japan, South Korea and Europe.
“Exports to China mean above all improved production profitability and sales of products which are not in demand in our market (like offal),” Sergei Yushin, president of the Russian Meat Association, told Reuters. “China has been the highest priority in the export ambitions of Russian producers.”
Top Russian poultry companies
Russia is the home of two of Europe’s ten largest poultry-producing companies.
Cherkizovo, which is Russia’s largest poultry company according to the Poultry International Top Poultry Companies rankings, is tied with Ukraine’s MHP as the sixth largest poultry company in Europe. Both companies slaughtered 312 broiler chickens in 2017. Prioskolye is Russia’s second-largest poultry company and Europe’s ninth-largest poultry company, having slaughtered 276 million broilers in 2017. Cherkizovo and Prioskolye are also both involved in turkey production.
Other leading poultry companies in Russia include GAP Resurs, Bezrk-Belgrankorm and Severnaya, which respectively slaughtered 152.4 million, 125 million and 112 million broilers last year. Severnaya is a subsidiary of Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods).
Top poultry companies of China
China, meanwhile, is the home of Asia’s two largest poultry companies: New Hope Liuhe and Wen’s Food Group. Those two companies slaughtered 1.3 billion and 807 million broilers in 2017, respectively.
Other top Chinese poultry companies include Doyoo Group, Sunner Development, OSI China, DaChan Food, Jiangsu Lihua Animal Husbandry, Fengxiang Group, Huaying Agricultural Development, WH Group, Yisheng Livestock and Poultry Breeding Co., Qingdao Nine-Alliance Group, Shanxi Suhai Group and Yongda Food Industry.
