Chicken meat, egg exports to exceed 100 thousand tons this year

Semnan, Dec 18, IRNA – A deputy at Agriculture Jihad Ministry said the volume of export of chicken meat and egg will exceed 100 thousand tons this year. Hassan Rokni said this year it is expected that the volume of chicken meat export will amount to 50 thousand tons with the same amount for egg, adding that in egg export a record breaking will occur. He put the volume of egg export last year at 35 thousand tons and noted that this year live livestock will be exported as well with the cattle head amounting to 300 thousand. Referring to the surplus production of chicken in the country he said some 160 to 170 thousand tons of chicken meat is produced monthly about 10 thousand tons of which is surplus and should be exported. Rokni described storage of chicken meat satisfactory and said there is no concern about meeting the growing demand for the New Year (starting March 21). He pointed to the capacity of 3-million-ton meat and chicken market in the region and said producers should meet a major part of such demands. The official said export of chicken meat has certain advantages such as employment, value added and hard currency earning and noted that meeting their demands through Iran will be also advantageous for regional countries. Rokni referred to Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and the Central Asia as the markets for Iran’s chicken meat and said in the past two months close to 20 thousand tons of egg were exported to Bahrain, Oman, Afghanistan and Iraq. He pointed to the 85 million tons of chicken meat production in the world and said Iran produces 2 million tons annually which, with regard to the per capita for the population is twice as much as the world production. /end