Poultry sector in Turkey optimistic about 2010

The sector may see an approximate 5 percent rise in production this year with the increase in exports, said Yüce Canoler, secretary-general of the Poultry Meat Producers and Breeders’ Association.

Due to low poultry meat prices and unexpected price increases for raw feed material in 2008, the poultry meat sector closed the year with a loss, he said, adding that market prices have ameliorated and maintained profitable levels since March 2009.
 

Noting that Turkey produced 1.17 million tons of poultry meat in 2008, Canoler said: “Despite the lack of concrete figures, we expect to see a 3 percent to 5 percent increase in poultry meat production for 2009. Turkey’s meat production, which was 35,000 tons in 2008, is expected to keep the same level this year.”
 

Both 2008 and 2009 saw positive developments in poultry meat exports, he said. “The amount of poultry meat exported was up 36 percent in 2007, 56 percent in 2008 and 44 percent in 2009. There are more important developments in the export value. The export value of poultry meat rose 60 percent in 2007, 100 percent in 2008 and 76 percent in 2009.”

 

Canoler said the poultry meat industry experienced the economic crisis in 2008 but did not suffer a further drop-off in 2009. In 2010 the sector will largely focus on gradually attaining more growth, he said. “The positive development in exports is expected to continue in 2010. A 5 percent increase may occur in poultry meat production with the increase in exports.”
 

Russia has decided to buy poultry meat from Turkey, he said. “Both Russian and Turkish veterinarians are still in contact regarding the information to appear on animal health certificates. We are expecting to host technical committees from Saudi Arabia, Macedonia, Serbia, Turkmenistan and China to show them our poultry plants in 2010.”
 

Iraq is the main reason for Turkey’s increasing poultry meat export in 2009, said Canoler. Iraq imported 9,275 tons of poultry meat during the last four months of 2008, and 50,647 tons in 2009, according to figures provided by Canoler.
 

Due to the legislation on genetically-modified organisms the sector is in a bottleneck in terms of supplying the soybean and soybean meals that are necessary for their feeds, according to Canoler. “In the current environmental chaos, supplier companies are not sure whether to bring raw material to the market or not. Our soybean stocks are about to be completely exhausted. There are limited soy stocks with the supplier companies, and the prices have increased by 50 percent. We need to solve this issue,”  he said.

 

Source: Hürriyet Daily News