INTERVIEWS, ARTICLES

As part of the SPECIAL TOPIC exhibition project, the AgroWorld Qazaqstan 2024 Organizing Committee interviewed the co-moderator of the DUTCH TECHNOLOGIES IN POULTRY FARMING event – Ruslan Ismailovich Sharipov, President of the Union of Poultry Farmers of Kazakhstan, an outstanding professional in the poultry farming industry with over 50 years of experience, winner of honorary awards of Kazakhstan and Russia.

-How do you assess the current state of the poultry farming industry in Kazakhstan? What are the key achievements and challenges at this stage?

-Currently, the poultry farming industry is developing steadily, today there are 70 poultry farms, including 29 meat and 34 egg farms and 7 breeding farms. Thanks to state support, poultry farming has significantly increased the volume of poultry meat production in recent years. Thus, over the past six years, poultry meat production has increased by 67% and in 2023, production will amount to 330 thousand tons, this year, poultry meat production is expected to be 360 ​​thousand tons and we will be able to provide 70% of domestic poultry meat.

According to statistics, domestic poultry producers provide the domestic market with eating eggs by almost 90%, the volume of egg consumption by the population increases annually. If in 2000, 1,517 million eggs were consumed on the domestic market, then in 2010 - 3,901.3 million, and in 2023 - 4,932 million eggs, or consumption on the domestic market increased by 3.3 times over twenty years.

Accordingly, per capita consumption of eggs is also increasing. If in 2000, per capita consumption was 102 eggs, then in 2010 - 215 eggs and in 2022 - 257 eggs. Domestic egg poultry farming is the only sub-sector of animal husbandry that has not only shown accelerated growth rates and achieved complete self-sufficiency in domestic egg consumption, but has also actively developed product exports in recent years.

The growth of poultry production became possible due to state support. The government created special conditions to attract foreign investment - providing state preferences, including investment subsidies.

-What measures is the Union of Poultry Farmers taking to support farmers and large producers in the face of market changes and growing competition?

-In 2014-2016, there was a pilot project, where in the Subsidy Rules, in order to ensure transparency in the receipt of subsidies by poultry farms for the volume of products sold, applications for subsidies were sent to the Union of Poultry Farmers, which checked the compliance of the declared volume of products for receiving subsidies with the available capacities in accordance with the planning sheet of the enterprise.

And the approval of applications from producers for subsidies, as well as the distribution of subsidies, were transparent.

In addition, every year since 2009, the Union of Poultry Farmers of Kazakhstan, represented by me, began to hold a Working Commission on the reliability of production, enterprise capacity, production planning sheets, livestock numbers, feed requirements, veterinary conditions, and more.

The Commission included economists, chief technologists, and other specialists who know the entire production technology. The Commission, in turn, issues supporting documents that are sent to the Agricultural Department to receive a subsidy.

The experience of applications approval showed high transparency of the decisions taken and removed all questions regarding the fairness of the distribution of subsidy quotas and no corruption risks were observed.

-What are the main trends in the development of technologies and innovations in poultry farming that will be presented at the upcoming AgroWorld Qazaqstan 2024 exhibition?

-The poultry farming industry in Kazakhstan is striving for new technologies, switching to digitalization of its factories, that is, building a single information system that covers all aspects of the business: from chicken meat production to sales. The motive for such an impressive technological breakthrough was not the fashion for digitalization, but the demand of the times. Growing competition and the need to quickly respond to numerous market challenges motivate the largest participants in the agricultural industry to rethink business management models.

Also good news in the development of poultry farming is that North Kazakhstan scientists work closely with scientists from the Siberian Research Institute of Poultry Farming. This center deals with poultry that is adapted to our conditions in terms of both climate and feed indicators. The Kazakhstanis intend to continue to use their experience.

Today, the North-Kazakh Research Institute of Agriculture, S. Seifullin Kazakh Agro Technical University, and West Kazakhstan Agrarian and Technical University named after Zhangir Khan are developing a scientific and technical program “Development of technologies for effective management of the selection process in poultry farming” for 2021-2023. “Of course, the industry cannot do without direct state support, and domestic scientists have also created a new cross of Ansar ducks with a reduced fat content in the carcass, a high rate of live weight gain of young animals at the age of 7 weeks is 3.249 kg, with feed costs per 1 kg of live weight gain of 2.8 kg, with the output of ducklings from a parent pair for 40 weeks of productivity at the level of 142 heads.

-How has the export potential of poultry products in Kazakhstan changed in recent years and what, in your opinion, is needed for further growth in this area?

-We are increasing our export potential annually, exporting poultry products to the Russian Federation, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.

In 2023, total meat exports amounted to 31 thousand tons or 8.5% of total production, 27 thousand tons were exported to the EAEU countries; 18.658 thousand tons to the Russian Federation; 1 thousand tons to Belarus, 8.258 thousand tons to Kyrgyzstan and 4 thousand tons to third countries - Azerbaijan and Tajikistan.

Exports of eating eggs amounted to 195.7 million, of which 115 million to Afghanistan, 80.7 million to the EAEU countries; 4 million to the Russian Federation and 77 million to Kyrgyzstan.

Today, the current structure of domestic production is not yet sufficiently developed to ensure its independent sustainable development without the current level of state support. This is due to the continuing systemic problems in the industry, which primarily include high production prime costs due to constantly rising grain prices, since there is no state forage fund, there is no breeding base, and therefore producers are forced to import high-cost breeding day-old chickens for meat and egg production from outside the Republic of Kazakhstan.

-What role does cooperation with international partners, in this case with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Central Asia, play in the development of the industry, and what are the goals of holding an industry seminar within the framework of the special topic of the AgroWorld Qazaqstan exhibition?

 -It is always interesting to cooperate with international partners, to learn innovations and advanced achievements, to adopt experience, Kazakhstan strives for this, but there are still problems, especially breeding, which is weak in the republic. We are interested in using the experience of the Netherlands, because the Netherlands has a lot of experience in the poultry farming industry.

And I am glad that we, together with the Embassy and Iteca, will hold such a large seminar. During this event, problems and solutions will be discussed, and practical cases will be provided. We are also planning an internship in the Netherlands, the program of which will focus on visiting facilities where you can get acquainted with various methods of waste processing and disposal. Visits to research institutes and industry institutions are planned.

In addition, we need investments in the industry to move on, new technologies for production and to create new partnerships and we cannot do without such exhibitions and seminars. The exhibition displays equipment, machinery and much more that is necessary for agriculture.

-What role do the AgroWorld Qazaqstan expo site and specialized industry seminars play in the development of the industry?

-It can be said that the role of industry seminars is IMPORTANT for poultry farms. Seminars help to open up new opportunities for the development of innovative poultry farming systems in Kazakhstan. Our long-standing partnership with Iteca, the organizer of the leading agricultural exhibition in the south of the Republic of Kazakhstan - AgroWorld Qazaqstan - undoubtedly makes a great contribution to the development of the industry, since it is on this site that unique international innovations are presented, in particular for the poultry farming industry.

I hope that the participants of the event will be able to work fruitfully and discuss the most important aspects of the application of biotechnological innovations and other development processes, develop key actions for themselves, exchange friendly contacts and unforgettable impressions. And also visit the stands of the exhibition participants, because this is the only event in the Republic of Kazakhstan where innovations for poultry farming are fully presented. Welcome to the exhibition!

On the eve of AgroWorld Qazaqstan 2024, the Organizing Committee met with the Speaker of the Key Event “DUTCH TECHNOLOGIES IN POULTRY FARMING” – Tatyana Alifanova, Regional Sales Manager of a manufacturing company with a long history and experience in poultry farming - Vencomatic Group BV. Tatyana shared information about trends in the poultry farming industry and solutions to improve technological and economic indicators of business, cooperation projects in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

-What advanced technologies and solutions for poultry farming does Vencomatic Group BV offer and how can they impact production efficiency in Kazakhstan?

-Vencomatic Group BV has its own innovative approach to poultry farming, which distinguishes us from other competitors. Our slogan is “To think and develop the poultry farming industry together with poultry farmers”. We study and listen to the problems of poultry farmers, and develop solutions that significantly increase business efficiency and simplify the management process.

We actively promote energy saving systems through our Agro Supply heat exchangers. Our company has installed more than 6,000 installations worldwide. And most customers continue to expand with us, experiencing a positive result from the use of our heat exchangers, especially now, when prices for gas and other energy have skyrocketed, prices for feed have risen, prices for imported veterinary products have increased, logistics have become more expensive, and the health and welfare of poultry is of increasing importance not only in the EU countries. These systems will not only save up to 70% on energy resources, but also contribute to the technological process – improved feed conversion, lower mortality, more homogeneous and viable chicken, and, as an output, a larger mass at slaughter.

Also, our solutions from Prinzen contribute to reducing labor resources and increasing the level of bio-safety through unique automation systems for hatcheries and eating egg processing.  Prinzen is the world’s No. 1 incubation egg processing company. The genetic companies of the world give preference to our systems of keeping parental stock and manipulating the hatchable egg.

Our company offers floor systems for keeping parent stock in Van Gent nests, which guarantee a minimum percentage of floor eggs and ease of control.

All our products contribute to the development of business efficiency and have a short payback period with a high result, which allows reinvestment in the future.

-How does international cooperation, including partnership with the Union of Poultry Farmers of Kazakhstan, contribute to the introduction of innovations in the poultry farming industry?

-Our company has been a member of the Association since June 2022. We actively participate in seminars and forums held under the auspices of the Union of Poultry Farmers. We also hold a number of free webinars for poultry farmers of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the participation of the Union of Poultry Farmers. Events such as forums allow us to develop an individual approach to each market segment – ​​whether it is the egg sector, the broiler sector, or the parent stock.  We carefully study the problem facing the factory and develop an individual approach for its optimal solution, thereby applying our effective technologies and innovations.

-What are the main advantages of using automated and environmentally sustainable solutions in poultry farming that your company is implementing in international markets?

-From the very first moment an egg is laid until it reaches its final destination, it goes through a long and difficult way. We understand every step of the way and are working to create the best solutions throughout the Egg Way.

Poultry keeping equipment: Vencomatic and Van Gent product lines provide a safe, comfortable and stimulating environment for poultry life and development.

Climate solutions: Agro Supply offers climate control solutions designed to create optimal conditions for keeping poultry, contributing to its healthy growth and productivity.

Egg collection and processing equipment: With Prinzen, we optimize the egg collection process, ensuring that every egg receives the attention it deserves – from nest to packaging.

Error-free farming with Meggsius: Its advanced solutions take data and poultry farming to the next level. We are moving to predictive error-free farming, maximizing the potential of each bird, each herd and each farm.

Nowadays, we live in a rapidly changing environment, to which we must constantly adapt. The level of digitalization does not stand still. And there are many problems and questions that need to be focused on here and now. This is where the issue of automation becomes relevant.  I believe that a quote from one of our customers can answer many questions: “We have achieved tremendous peace. We save a lot of time, and stress has disappeared too. Human operations are now performed automatically”.

-What kind of support and advice does the Vencomatic Group provide to Kazakhstan poultry producers, and how does this affect the development of the market in the region?

-As mentioned earlier, we actively train our potential customers through online seminars, take an active part in international forums and exhibitions, organize trips for our customers to Europe to get acquainted with international technologies, hold individual meetings and visits to customers, where we discuss problems and subsequently develop solutions, carry out an analysis of the customer’s investment activities and help in choosing the right technological solution and correctly calculating the payback of the project.

Vencomatic Group BV is a unique company that is not only a producer, but also offers technological support to the customer and helps to establish the process of working with poultry at a high and efficient level! We constantly carry out research in the field of poultry farming, studying the behavior of poultry, thereby improving its keeping and productivity, which has a positive result at the output.

-In your opinion, what benefits do such seminars and the AgroWorld Qazaqstan exhibition bring to local producers, and how do they contribute to strengthening business ties and sharing experiences?

-The international AgroWorld Qazaqstan exhibition and these seminars allow gathering the right audience and forming a great platform for sharing experiences!  Thanks to such exhibitions, the necessary professional communications are created. At these events, the customer can communicate with different suppliers and find a more optimal and effective solution for itself. AgroWorld Qazaqstan presents producers with many years of experience and practice. It is not always possible for a local company to leave the factory for a week and go to Europe to get acquainted with technology, since production activities must be under control, and just such local events allow meeting with many suppliers and customers, and resolving the issue locally. 

We also express our gratitude to the Embassy of the Netherlands in the Republic of Kazakhstan for assistance in organizing such events. Thanks to the Embassy, Dutch companies are given the opportunity to share their experience, knowledge and practices implemented in the European Union. Cooperation with the Embassy allows expanding the boundaries of cooperation at different levels. A platform for work between Dutch companies is also being created, which allows offering unique solutions for the customer. For example, the Memorandum signed between Vencomatic Group BV and the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Netherlands in June 2022 significantly expanded the possibilities of cooperation, and allowed, together with the Union of Poultry Farmers of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to carry out a number of trainings and organize visits to the Netherlands to exchange experiences. We sincerely believe in three-way cooperation and hope to further develop our cooperation for the benefit of the poultry farming industry in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

We are waiting for you at the seminar on Dutch technologies in poultry farming at the AgroWorld Qazaqstan 2024 exhibition in Almaty!