The IFC's new Global Agriculture Series features sectoral presentations of industry trends with specific emphasis on the developing countries. The series highlights the increasing importance of developing countries in the world economy as rapidly expanding markets and as competitive production bases. The information reported underlines the strong production assets of those countries and illustrates the investment opportunities this creates. To profile the high-growth poultry industry, the first volume in this series draws on intelligence collected from various public and private sources, including IFC client companies in numerous countries. Consumption of poultry meat has been growing at an exceptional rate over the past decade, spurred by the dietary benefits of this food and an attractive price relative to other meats. Its evolution in recent years epitomizes the emergence of developing countries as global competitors in the agribusiness sector. This report estimates that annual world consumption might grow by another 15-18 million tons by the end of the decade, making poultry the most popular meat in the world. This growth should support additional investments of roughly US$2 billion during this period, including US$0.7 to $0.9 billion for growers' production facilities and US$1 to $1.2 billion for integrators' production facilities. Estimates project that much of this investment will be undertaken in developing countries. The report presents an overview of the poultry production system and the key players in the supply chain, the global poultry market and regional production patterns, the main determinants of competitive advantage in this sector, and an analysis of international trade flows. The final chapter reviews the role of public policies in changes in consumption, production, and trade. Additonal features include color photos, charts, and tables