Poultry production in Belarus will double by 2015, Agriculture and Food Minister of Belarus, Mikhail Rusyi, said in a session of the Council of Ministers' Presidium earlier this week, reports Export.BY.

He said: "In 2015, the country plans to produce 548,000 tonnes of poultry meat live weight or double the 2009 level."

By 2015, the share of poultry meat in the total meat production will increase by 1.5 per cent. Minsk Oblast will lead in the poultry meat production. The production of broilers in Gomel and Grodno Oblasts will double as well.

"The export of poultry meat is expected to increase up to 100,000 tonnes a year, or five times, by 2015," Mr Rusyi said.

The production will be boosted by means of increasing the poultry population to 134 million head in 2015, bringing in the latest breeds and crosses, optimising the raw material base for production of valuable animal feed, constructing and modernising production premises using modern technology. There are plans to increase the average daily weight gain of broilers to 60g – up 20 per cent from 2010. The cost of feed to produce one centner of weight gain of broilers will be reduced from the current 1.8 centers to 1.7 centner in 2015.

In 2015, the agricultural producers of Belarus are projected to manufacture 2.7 billion eggs, up 15 per cent from 2010.

Speaking about the results of the current poultry development program designed to run in 2006-2010, Minister Rusyi said that poultry meat production targets were annually beaten by 14 to 25 per cent. By the end of the year, 1.31 million tonnes of poultry meat will be produced – up 23 per cent.

The targets regarding the production of eggs were implemented by 100 to 110 per cent every year. The production of eggs in 2010 will be up seven per cent, and the five-year production target will be beaten by four per cent.

"The programme gave an impetus to the production and development of the poultry industry of Belarus," said the Minister.