PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES OF POULTRY PRODUCTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

The paper presents in short the situation, problems and perspectives of poultry production in the Republic of Macedonia. It has been found that in the last ten years there is a continuous stagnation of poultry breeding, and the reasons for that are: generally very poor economic conditions, the very long period of transition and privatization, and the low living standard. Once a state with high-developed poultry production within the former Yugoslavia when it supplied 30% of the Yugoslav needs for eggs and exported live material (chicks one-day old and pullets), Macedonia today experiences a rapid fall in the production of eggs, while the production of poultry meat as if doesn’t exist at all. The needs of the population for chicken meat are satisfied in 94% through import of frozen meat from many countries in the world, which do not meet the required quality standards. A complete revitalization of poultry production is necessary through a series of measures outlined in the paper. Their implementation will contribute to overcoming all the objective and subjective difficulties because the Republic of Macedonia has the necessary resources for the development of poultry breeding which in the future would provide sufficient products for the domestic population, but also for export, especially of products from alternative systems of poultry farming.