Feed prices at one of the leading feed stores in Zambia have gone up by K75 about 15 percent from K520 to now about K595 effective 19th February 2024.
This means that broiler Chicken prices are also expected to go up following the increment in feed prices.
According to a pricelist from Farmfeed Limited seen by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, retail chicken feed prices for standard broiler starters have seen an increase of 15 percent.
Meanwhile, retail feed prices for standard grower feed have also increased by K52 from K515 to K567 representing a percentage increase of 10 percent.
Standard broiler Finisher feed has also gone up by K40 from K510 to K550 representing about an 8 percent increase.
Meanwhile, Value broiler starter, grower and finisher feed prices have also seen an increase of K40 from K510 to now K550, K39 from K495 to K534, and K70 from K470 to K40 respectively.
The Broiler Grower Concentrate has also gone up by K120 from k515 to K635 representing about a 23% increment while the broiler finisher concentrate has gone up by k115 from k510 to k625 representing a price increment of about 22%.
Village chicken feed has also seen a price increment of k70 which is about 15 percent from k450 to k520 which means that village chicken prices are also expected to go high.
According to the Farmfeed Limited feed price list, the village chicken finisher has gone up by k70 from k450 to k520 while the village chicken grower has gone up by k50 from k460 to k 510.
Meanwhile, village chicken starter feed has also gone up by k30 from k470 to k500 while free-range feed has gone up by k45 from k210 to k255.
The increase in feed prices is likely to have a significant impact on the poultry industry in Zambia. It is expected that farmers will pass on the increased costs to consumers, resulting in higher prices for broiler chickens and village chickens. This could lead to a decline in demand for these products, which could have a knock-on effect on the wider poultry industry.
In addition to this, the increase in feed prices could lead to a rise in production costs for poultry farmers, which could result in lower profits. This could lead to a decline in investment in the industry and a reduction in the number of poultry farms operating in the country.
