The Mozambican government has been implementing various strategies to deal with the bird flu situation
Maputo . — The southern parts of Mozambique will experience a shortage of eggs during the festive season as a result of the bird flu epidemic in South Africa, the government said on Monday.
Domestic Trade national director Zulmira Macamo, however, said there were sufficient stocks of food and drink for that period of the year. Macamo was addressing the media on levels of availability of food and beverage products in the run-up to the festive season.
“The bird flu in South Africa has led to many laying hens being slaughtered, and production levels have fallen,” she said, adding that central and northern parts of the country would not be affected.
She said the Mozambican government had been implementing various strategies to deal with the situation.
“We have been reducing reference prices. Before, it cost R140,00, but at the moment we have reduced that to R100,00,” she said.
Buyers for chicken producers such as Moz Farms and Higest have secured sufficient stock to feed the national markets, having bought 500 and 400 tonnes of chicken respectively. At least 400 000 tonnes of potatoes, 34 000 tonnes of onions, 46 000 tonnes of tomatoes and an equal number of cabbages have been stockpiled for the festive season.
As for alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, Coca-Cola and Cervejas de Moçambique (CDM) have more than one million boxes of these products ready for delivery. Other players in the staple food production chain such as MIREC and SASSEKA also secured adequate products, including rice, horse mackerel, pasta, wheat, cornmeal and crackers, for the Christmas and New Year period. — New Ziana.