The Poultry Association of Zambia (PAZ) says the production of day old chicks has increased following government’s decision to lift the suspension on the issuance of export permits for day old chicks, stock feed and hatching eggs in March this year.
In January this year, PAZ revealed that the cumulative number of day old chicks that the hatcheries had drowned because of reduced demand for the birds on the market was 1.1 million, a situation that prompted the association to appeal to government to allow exports of day old chicks and hatching eggs to the region.
Association Executive Director Dominic Chanda explained that the opening up of the export market has not affected the availability or prices of day old chicks in any way as all the local players are able to access the chicks on the local market depending on the volumes they want.
Speaking in an interview with the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Chanda noted that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains the biggest market for day old chicks produced in Zambia, with a few parent stocks going into East Africa.
“The situation has gone back to normal in the sense that the market has expanded, production has also expanded, what led to the drowning was the restrictive market to the local players, with government opening up the export market, we are servicing both the local and export market”, he said.
However, the Sub-Sahara African Famers Organisation (SSAFO) said there is a drop in availability of day old chicks on the market adding that it is not surprising as this is something that usually happens during the cold season.
Organisation President Munyaradzi Mulonda said the delivery of orders between 25, 000 and 30, 000 are taking atleast three months noting that there have not been any price adjustments in the last three months.
“Export normally gets priority, the best commodity is exported and the worst commodity is what comes on the local market. Now if you go to these companies they ‘ve got two tiers, this is for export market, this is domestic and all those which have got defects, undeveloped yolks and things like that are the ones on the domestic market, the ones which are perfect are for export”, he said.
Mulonda mentioned that most people are skeptical about rearing chickens during the cold season due to the high mortalities experienced as well as the increased expenses to do with heating.
