Online Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S poultry sector, which is still recovering from the effects of avian influenza, Covid-19 and two successive droughts, has witnessed steady growth in both broiler and egg production.
Information provided by the Zimbabwe Poultry Association (ZPA) during a workshop organised by the European Union-funded Zimbabwe Agricultural Growth Programme (ZAPG) revealed that small- to medium-scale producers have been major contributors to this growth.
“In 2017, the broiler industry produced 106 000 tonnes of broiler meat worth US$205 million, 67 percent of which was from small- to medium-scale producers.
“In 2020, this grew to 112 000 tonnes of broiler meat into the Zimbabwe meat market worth US$285 million, 73 percent of which was from small- to medium-scale producers,” said ZPA in a statement.
During the same period, large-scale production declined by 15 percent.
In terms of egg production, the local egg industry produced 15 million 30-egg trays of eggs worth US$33 million in 2017.
Of that amount, 55 percent was produced by small- to medium-scale producers.
In 2020, this grew to 24 million 30-egg trays of eggs worth US$61 million, of which 59 percent of the total production came from small- to medium-scale producers.
During this period, large-scale production increased by 41 percent, while small- to medium-scale producers’ production grew by 69 percent.