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Zimbabwe Poultry Industry Stays Resilient, Meets National Chick Demand Amid El Nino Drought

Zimbabwe Poultry Industry Stays Resilient, Meets National Chick Demand Amid El Nino Drought
Zimbabwe Poultry Industry Stays Resilient, Meets National Chick Demand Amid El Nino Drought

The Zimbabwe Poultry Association (ZPA) says that the poultry industry has been able to handle this year’s El Nino-caused drought, with producers being able to meet the country’s yearly need for nearly 100 million day-old chicks.

This year, Zimbabwe and other southern African countries were hit by a drought caused by El Nino. Most crops and fields were destroyed, and water sources were used up.

In an interview, Mr. Solomon Zawe, head of the ZPA, said that even though El Nino caused a drought, poultry farmers have been able to keep up production levels to meet the country’s annual need for nearly 100 million day-old broiler chicks.

“Even though the country was hit by a drought this year, we were able to keep our production levels within the annual national requirement of 100 million day-old chicks. This is because producers have switched up their feed sources to rely less on crops that were affected by the drought.”

“For instance, companies that make stock feed have started using different types of feed ingredients, like sunflower meal, in the way they make their products.”

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“We’ve been able to raise an average of eight million day-old broiler chicks every month,” he said. “A quarter of that has been for layers, which is also a good number for meeting the local market’s egg needs.”

Zimbabwe’s economy depends a lot on agriculture. By next year, the sector should be worth US$13.75 billion, and the government wants farmers who raise crops and animals to put more money into adding value to their products.

The sector reached its original goal of US$8.2 billion in 2021, thanks to higher production and productivity across all sub-sectors.

Going forward, Mr. Zawe said that poultry farmers would keep up their plans to increase production so that the market would always have enough chicken.

“The poultry sector is expected to continue growing positively in 2025,” he said. “This will help make sure that there are enough chicken and eggs on the local market and stop imports.”

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Professor Mthuli Ncube, Minister of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion, said in the 2025 national budget statement that the farm sector would grow by 12.8% in 2025, up from a 15% drop this year.

“The Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy and the Agriculture Recovery and Growth Plan will guide changes in the agriculture sector,” Prof. Ncube said.

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