A Russian senior food executive has told Reuters that Russia will rely on imports for no more than 10% of its pork and poultry within three to four years as growing domestic output replaces the United States and other suppliers.

Sergei Mikhailov, chief executive of leading Russian meat producer Cherkizovo, said that broiler meat production in Russia had risen by 15-16% annually in the last five years.

Russia aims to reach self-sufficiency in pork and poultry by 2011, with the goal of exporting a possibility by 2012, according to First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov.

“This goal is quite attainable, give or take a year,” Mikhailov says. “I don’t think we’ll be able to do without imports altogether, but their share will shrink to about 10%, which is normal for keeping competition on the market.”