Poultry industry makes giant strides

Lynn Munjanja Herald Reporter
The broiler industry has recorded phenomenal growth since 2009 from 18 million chicks yielding 26 000 tonnes per annum to 91 million chicks yielding 143 000 tonnes as at last year.

This came out during a meeting held at ART Farm in Harare on Thursday.
Poultry business development advisor Mr Ross Michael Whiting said two thirds of the production emanated from small to medium producers (SMPs), mainly supplying independent butcheries and supermarkets in low-income markets.

“We are happy to note that there has been an increase in poultry farming, and we are launching a four-year project that will run from February 2019 to January 2022.

“The project is at its beginning stages, proposals were submitted on which it was funded,” said Mr Whiting.
“We are targeting 100 000 farmers and there is a call to private sectors and other organisations to join the project. We are trying to reduce costs for small-scale farmers.”

The scope of the project is to work with SMPs and value chain actors that operate within a 100km radius of poultry consumer markets in Harare, Mutare, Bulawayo, Gweru and Masvingo.

The project will predominantly focus on broiler (meat) and layer (table eggs) production.
Table egg production increased from 14 million dozens in 2009 and peaked at 55 million dozens in 2016.
Output then declined to 36 million dozens in 2018 due to the Avian flu outbreak of May 2017.