Over the year, supplies increased 4-fold

 

According to FEEDLOT analytical agency, 123 thousand tons of feed amino acids were imported into Russia in 2023. And although the bulk of imports still comes from China (79%), supplies from the Republic of Belarus increased significantly by the end of the year — almost 4 times. Thus, in 2022 the share of Belarusian-made feed amino acids in the Russian market amounted to only 4%, and in 2023 it increased to 17%.

 

The main supplier is CJSC Belarusian National Biotechnological Corporation (CJSC BNBC). It is the largest agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Belarus with a closed production cycle and vertically integrated agro-industrial enterprises. The corporation includes agro-industrial and biotechnological complexes for deep grain processing.

 

The annual production volume is 547.2 thousand tons of mixed fodder and 96 thousand tons of premixes (for pigs, cattle, poultry and fish). The biotechnological block includes flour and starch production, wheat gluten and glucose syrup production lines, as well as several plants for production of feed amino acids with annual capacity of 72.3 thousand tons. BNBK produces such feed amino acids as lysine sulfate (32 thousand tons), lysine monohydrochloride (33 thousand tons), threonine (6 thousand tons) and tryptophan (1.3 thousand tons).

Lysine sulphate is the leader in terms of procurement volume

 

The Republic of Belarus provides 30% of the Russian demand for feed amino acids: in 2023, the volume of supplies of feed amino acids produced in Belarus amounted to 21.5 thousand tons, FEEDLOT analysts calculated.

 

Lysine sulfate accounted for the largest share in the total volume of supplies by BNBK in 2023 - 74%, while in 2022 this indicator was much lower — 45%. At the same time, the volume of imported lysine monohydrochloride decreased significantly: from 45% in 2022 to 19% in 2023. Threonine accounts for only 3%, the share of tryptophan is the smallest — 1%.

 

In the structure of lysine sulfate supplies, Belarusian producers took the leading position in 2023 (72%), displacing Chinese suppliers. For comparison: in 2022, the share of lysine sulphate from the Republic of Belarus was only 18%. As for lysine monohydrochloride, the share of Belarusian-made products in 2023 reached 13% in the total volume of supplies (6% in 2022). Belarusian threonine accounted for 2%, tryptophan — 6% (in 2022 there were no supplies).

Prices for amino acids have stabilized

 

In 2023 prices for feed amino acids have stabilized relative to the rates of 2022, analysts of the agency note. An intensive jump in prices was recorded at the end of 2021 — beginning of 2022, then there is a gradual decline in price offers.

 

Thus, the average price of lysine monohydrochloride in 2023 decreased by an average of 17% in Russia and 35% - in Belarus, if compared with the data of 2022. Lysine sulfate fell in price by 38% in Russia and by 51% in Belarus. Threonine fell in price by 24% and 38% respectively. The opposite situation was observed for tryptophan - it is one of the few amino acids that showed an increase in average prices. Over 2023, its average prices increased by 2% in Russia and the Republic of Belarus.

Joint development of biotechnologies is in the plans

 

Today Belarus is actively developing cooperation with Russia in the sphere of biotechnologies, the products of BNBK CJSC (and it is not only feed amino acids) are in demand in the domestic market, and everything suggests that the number of partners in our country will only grow. In addition to import substitution, it is planned to increase export potential. This, in particular, was discussed at the First Biotechnology Forum of the Union State, which was held last year in Minsk.

 

Initially, the corporation CJSC BNBK was export-oriented (about 20% of its products are consumed in the country), and today market participants name Turkey, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria, and Iran among the possible destinations.

 

The company plans to modernize and expand the existing production (launching another line for the production of tryptophan, etc.), and to build a plant for the production of feed vitamins.

 

In addition, the prospects of an even more ambitious project are being discussed - the creation of a unified biotechnology industry within the Union State, in which China's participation is planned.