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Cherkizovo Group and Grupo Fuertes have launched the first phase of construction of the facilities for the Tambov Turkey project.The first phase of construction includes 4 buildings at rearing facility No. 3, 12 buildings at fattening facility No. 3 and a modern hatchery with capacity of 5.9 million eggs per year.

It will be the most important processing facility in the production chain of high-quality turkey meat, and will allow complete independence from outside supplies of turkey chicks and provide the required number of birds per day.

The grand opening of the company's new facilities in Pervomaisky District of Tambov Region included official events attended by acting Governor of the region Alexander Nikitin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cherkizovo Group Igor Babaev and the CEO of Grupo Fuertes Russia, Joaquin Jiménez de Aguilar.

The facilities are being built as part of a unique international project to produce turkey meat launched by Cherkizovo Group in 2012 in partnership with the Spanish Grupo Fuertes — the largest turkey producer in Spain.

Total investments in the project amount to 7.27 billion rubles. The launch of the complex is scheduled for December 2015, and total production will be 50,000 tonnes of meat per year.

The latest high-tech equipment from Exafan — one of the world's leading manufacturers of equipment for the poultry industry — has been installed at the fattening and rearing facilities. All processes in the buildings are fully automated and controlled remotely using advanced computer systems. The equipment meets the highest biosafety standards and requires minimal maintenance.

The Tambov Turkey hatchery is not only one of the largest facilities in Tambov Region, but also one of the most modern in Russia. Nearly every stage of the incubation process is fully automated. Conveying eggs from transportation to incubation trolleys, loading and unloading trays, candling and fumigating eggs, counting chicks, washing trays and other processes will be carried out in fully automatic mode.

Tambov Turkey will also be the only international project on this scale in the Russian agricultural sector, and will provide major socio-economic benefits for Tambov Region. It will create more than 900 jobs with salaries 10–15 % higher than average for the region for residents of Pervomaisky and other nearby districts.

There are additional plans to develop a grain farming cluster as part of the Tambov Turkey project, which will create a high-quality feed reserve for growing turkey chicks. The cluster will be supplied with modern farm equipment that will help efficiently work more than 10,000 hectares of land in Pervomaisky District.

Cherkizovo Group has been operating in Tambov Region since 2006. During this time, the company has invested more than 10 billion rubles in developing agriculture in the region and paid taxes of more than 150 million rubles to the regional budget. The Group has successfully developed its pork, grain and dairy divisions in the region.

"I'm very proud to be here at the launch of the first phase of construction of the facilities for the Tambov Turkey project — the hatchery," Mr. Babaev said. "To see that we're doing everything right to ensure food security of the Russian Federation.

The Tambov Turkey project is unique. Its scale is impressive. This is the result of a collaborative effort between the Administration of Tambov Region, our Spanish partners and Cherkizovo Group.

Eggs will be delivered to the hatchery in the near future. And we believe that the unique combination of European experience in breeding and rearing poultry and the experience of Cherkizovo Group in developing large-scale projects in the country will allow us to quickly take our rightful place in the rapidly growing Russian turkey market. I'd like to note that in last 4 years alone, consumption of turkey meat in Russia has grown by more than 6 times to 1.5 kg per person, and that's only the start. Turkey meat is a direct substitute for beef. It's unique for its combination of white meat (breast) and red meat (legs), and content of essential amino acids.

Prospects for the Russian market of turkey are very good, so we are now preparing documents to set up an egg replacement facility in Tambov Region, which will allow us to create a completely independent turkey meat production cycle and increase the capacity of the facility, and build additional parent stock sites. This project should grow, and we will soon achieve our ambition of increasing production capacity to 200,000 tonnes per year. But for this we need the Administration's help, and I hope that Mr. Nikitin will not refuse us, because successful implementation of this project is important at both the regional and federal levels.

I also want to stress the importance of training specialists in the field. We have already started talks with Michurinsk State Agrarian University on creating courses on turkey breeding. Future experts will have the opportunity for internships at leading facilities such as Tambov Turkey, while at the same time, we will get trained professionals for our companies.

I would like to congratulate everyone for this event. Above all, implementation of this project in Tambov Region means social security for Tambov residents and protection for our future generations."

Mr. Nikitin said that Tambov Region was on course for import substitution, with support for domestic producers, and the development of environmentally friendly products, with beneficial and healing properties. These products include not only fruit and vegetables, but also healthy turkey meat. This project also has a great social importance, because it will solve the problem of employment of people in Pervomaisky District and other nearby areas, and provide additional income in the form of taxes.