Cobb Russia employees Yulia Pavlova, quality manager Cobb Russia (left); and Irina Khamatshina, technical manager
Yulia Pavlova, quality manager Cobb Russia [left] and  Irina Khamatshina, technical manager, show off a new batch of Cobb500 chicks.

SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. – Russia's market for imported poultry products remains tight, but not so tight that a few chicks couldn't get in.

Broiler breeder Cobb-Vantress, Inc. said a new hatchery in Russia delivered its first shipment of Cobb500 chicks. The chicks were produced at the Akashevo hatchery which was developed to produce 4 million Cobb-Vantress chicks per year in Russia. The chicks were delivered to Vasilievskaya, a unit of the Cherkizovo Group which is Russia’s leading poultry meat producer.

“For Cobb it is extremely important to produce chicks here in Russia so that our customers are assured of a constant supply of top quality genetics,” said Patrick van Trijp, Cobb account manager for Russia and CIS nations. “This is a clear indication of our belief in the potential of the Russian market.

“With their hatchery and grandparent flocks Akashevo has become a strong and reliable partner for Cobb,” he added. “Together with our distributor Broiler Budushevo, Cobb is looking to provide 30 percent of the total demand for parent stock in Russia.”

Russian import bans have resulted in low supplies of domestic poultry. Limited imported volumes of poultry and restrictions on growth have tightened the market, according to Rabobank analysts.