Hybrid Poultry Farm Zambia says it is losing an estimated US$500,000 monthly due to refusal by the Tanzanian governments to grant the poultry breeding company a transit permit for Hatching Eggs from Zambia to Kenya through Tanzania.
In an exclusive interview with the Zambia Business Times-ZBT, Hybrid Poultry Farm Production Controller Aaron Banda said the breeding company had on 16th February 2019 written to the Tanzanian government for transit permit to transport hatching eggs to Kenya through Tanzania but that the Tanzanian government denied the breeding company permit.
This was due to the fact that Tanzanian government had in 2006 imposed a quarantine for any kind of importation of poultry products from around the global to safeguard the country against the deadly highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Diseases and that the quarantine is not yet waived to date.
“We are a breeding company and we export much of the product around Southern and Eastern Africa. Depending on the volume of the products exported, we move our products by air or by road. So the denied transit permit has enabled us not meet the required order by our customers in Kenya but instead deliver half of the orders causing us to lose on direct foreign earnings,” he said.
Banda also said the breeding company is losing customers in Kenya as is unable to deliver the required order focusing the customers to source for other suppliers.
“We are a COMASE region and transiting of products should be done freely without restriction. The excuse by the Tanzanian Authority is an justifiable as Zambia has never reported any Pathogenic Avian Influenza Diseases and that Tanzania is only being used as a transit point and not the destination,” he said.
The Production Controller says the Tanzanian government should be putting truckers on vehicles carrying poultry products transiting through their country to other destinations and remove the truckers at exiting points rather than completely denying exporters transit permits.
Meanwhile, Ministry Commerce Trade and industry is expected to hold a meeting with the affected parties over this matter next week
