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Zimbabwe Poultry Association hopes to meet its set target of 7.8 million day-old chicks by the end of the year

Charity Ruzvidzo Business Chronicle
DECREASED stock feed prices are set to spur increased domestic poultry production with the Zimbabwe Poultry Association (ZPA) projecting 7,8 million day-old chicks produced by December from last year’s 6,4 million.
ZPA head Solomon Zawe said the improved harvests the country received this year decreased the prices of stock feed but complained over the continued smuggling of chickens, which he said was suffocating local producers.

“The bumper harvests we had this year greatly reduced the stock feed prices. The cost of production for one bird is now $2.75 to $2.90. We hope to meet our set target of 7.8 million day old chicks for this year,” he said.

Zawe said there was need to tighten import regulations on poultry products to weed out rampant smuggling at the country’s porous borders.

Most smuggled chickens come from South Africa and Brazil.
“A kilogramme of chicken costs $3.20 yet the imported ones go for $2.80. At times local producers are forced to reduce prices to counter the imports,” he said.

“We have notified the Ministry of Agriculture Mechanisation and Irrigation Development and Zimra with regards to chickens being smuggled into the country. We need to ensure viability of our local producers.”

Zimbabwe has a combined hatching capacity of 7.6 million day old chicks per annum.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce early this year introduced a Statutory Instrument 6, which applies to poultry, sugar and pork products.

The instrument is meant to licence imports and not ban them, a move meant to control importation and licence only where there was a gap.

However, even with such an instrument in place a lot of smuggling is still taking place.