Business Reporter

Government has suspended import duty on fertilised eggs for a period of six months in a move that is expected to boost the country’s poultry sector.

The suspension of duty will, however, only apply to nine registered breeders and will subsist between October 1 and March 31 next year.

Each of the nine breeders has been given a specific quota with which they can import duty free.

Up to 10 million eggs are expected to be shipped in under provisions gazetted in Statutory Instrument (SI) 245 of 2020, which can also be cited as Customs and Excise (Suspension) (Amendment) Regulations.

“Duty is wholly suspended on fertilised poultry eggs for hatching of tariff code 0407.11.00 imported by approved poultry breeders, with effect from 1st October, 2020 to 31st March, 2021 (for a period of six months),” reads the SI.

Irvine’s Zimbabwe (Private) Limited, the country’s largest day old chick breeders, have been accorded the biggest quota under the import scheme and will be allowed to ship in 4,11 million eggs.

The second largest quota has been given to Twowork Enterprises t/a Supachick who will be allowed to import 1, 826 million eggs.

The other beneficiaries are Hukuru Chicks (Private) Limited, Charles Stewart Day Old Chicks (Private) Limited, Sondelani Ranching Co. (Private) Limited, Kudu Creek Farm (Private) Limited, Zim Avian (Private) Limited, Doctor Henn Investment (Private) Limited and Chinyika Day Old Chicks.

The suspension of duty comes at a time when the country is grappling with a shortage of day old chicks.

The shortage has resulted in farmers being subjected to longer bookings some of them running into weeks.