This article appears in the August issue of Poultry International. View all of the articles in the digital edition of this magazine.
Russia’s egg industry remains highly fragmented, decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union fundamentally changed the country’s agricultural economy. No group of companies, or single enterprise, has emerged to dominate the egg market, and Russia’s largest egg producers still account for a relatively small proportion of the national layer flock.
The Top 8 Russian egg companies own less than one-fifth -- 16.1 percent -- of the nation’s layer flock, estimated to stand at 176 million head, according to data from WATT’s Top Companies database and figures published in "Russian Food & Drinks Market."
The Russian Federation may be the world’s largest country in terms of land mass, but its egg industry ranks as the sixth largest globally, according to WATT Global Media research. Russian annual egg production stands at 2.284 million metric tons.
More than 1,000 companies are thought to be active in the egg industry, yet despite this fragmentation, the Russian egg market is still thought to be highly developed.
Major Russian egg producers have developed around the more populous west of the country, however, large producers have also emerged further east, close to key cities. View Russia's largest egg-producing companies in a full screen map.
Nevertheless, egg production in Russia is still thought to be below that of the Communist era, yet with per capita egg production high by European and world standards, raising output and consumption remains challenging.
Nevertheless, the country’s egg producers have had the recent benefit of seeing competition on their home market decrease, after import bans on eggs and other agricultural produce from those countries imposing sections on Russia due to its actions in Ukraine.
The import bans are due to come to an end in August this year, but could be extended to the end of 2017, potentially offering the opportunity for further growth.
WATT Global Media’s Top Poultry Companies database contains details of eight key players in the Russian egg market:
1. Prioskolye
In addition to having the largest laying flock in Russia, numbering 5 million head, the company is estimated to be the largest poultry producer in the country. Founded as recently as 2003, in addition to eggs, the company sells chicken meat, chicken sausage and fully cooked chicken products.
2. Sinyavskaya Poultry Farm
With 3.58 million layers, Sinyavskaya Poultry Farm is one of the largest table egg producers in Russia and one of the five largest egg producers in Europe. The company sells shell eggs, colored eggs, egg products and broiler meat.
3. Bohr Poultry
Bohr Poultry, with a layer flock of 2.8 million birds, produced more than 1 billion table eggs in 2012. The company sells eggs, egg powder and liquid products as well as broiler meat products.
4. Rusgrain Holding
Rusgrain Holding is a diversified agrarian company with a 2.5 million-bird layer flock. The company has seven farms producing eggs and poultry, which it sells through Avdon, a wholesale and retail trading company. Its products include chicken and quail table eggs, breeder eggs and broiler meat.
5. Roskar
Roskar is one of the largest egg producers in Russia with 2.5 million layer hens. The company also sells a small amount of broiler meat, egg products, ready-to-cook products and manure.
6. Sverdlovsk
Sverdlovsk’s layer flock comprises 2.5 million birds and it produces more than 870 million table eggs annually. The company produces table eggs, egg powder, broiler meat products and dairy milk as well.
7. Agrosoyuz
Agrosoyuz, a subsidiary of Russian Grain since 2009, owns 2.4 million layers and produces chicken, quail and breeding eggs as well as broiler meat. In 2011, it produced 268.5 million chicken eggs, 17.4 million quail eggs, and 34.7 million hatching eggs.
8. Oka Poultry
Oka Poultry (Okskaya PF) owns 2 million layers. In addition to its egg production facilities, it owns a layer breeder farm, grain farm and a feed mill.
To access the World Top Poultry Companies database in full, go to:
