Russia may export 60 times more pork and poultry by 2020, even as it seeks to build its food security by reducing dependence on imported meat, Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik said Tuesday.
New technologies have made Russian meat more competitive on the international market, Skrynnik said a meeting of the State Council's presidium in the Belgorod region village of Malobykovo.
"We're keeping pace with the times and the technological process. By our estimates, export volumes could be up to 400,000 tons of poultry and 200,000 tons of pork. That's $1.5 billion to $2 billion a year," she said, compared with a combined 10,000 tons of exports last year.
Russia, currently among the world's largest meat importers, may become a leader in meat production if it creates the necessary infrastructure, said President Dmitry Medvedev, who chaired the meeting.
"We need to start with something. In that case, Russia will see big prospects to become an influential player at the international food market," he said, stressing that having meat available for domestic consumption would remain the priority.
Medvedev signed a new food security doctrine in February, which called for 85 percent of all meat consumed in the country to be produced domestically by 2020.
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