Windhoek — The Ministry of Trade and Industry has indicated that it would soon introduce some form of interim protection for the broiler industry. The protection may come into effect as soon as the first week of May.

According to Koos Ferreira the CEO of Namib Mills Investments (NMI), the parent company of Namibia Poultry Industries (NPI), the sector could soon receive interim protection through the Import Export Control Act of 1994, until infant industry protection comes into effect.

Welcoming government’s support for NPI on Tuesday, Ferreira stressed the importance of some form of protection for the industry at a media conference in Windhoek. “Some form of protection has become crucial, as the industry operates in an environment that is capital intensive. The development of specialised skills and the development of brands requires time and financial resources invested over long periods of time. These need to be protected, to sufficiently contribute to the country’s economy,” Ferreira said.

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THE Youth Enterprise Development Fund has extended its financial support to buying assets for eligible entrepreneurs who run poultry businesses, according to a notice published yesterday.

The fund through an advertisement published in a national daily yesterday said it will buy egg hatching incubators for youth entrepreneurs running poultry-related ventures, with the cost of the equipment being repaid as a loan.

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Astral Foods, one of South Africa’s leading integrated poultry producers, has opened a new Mozpintos broiler hatchery in Mozambique.

Construction began in 2011 on almost 26 hectares of land, 45km south west of the capital city Maputo. The hatchery, which has a capacity of 158,000 day old chicks per week, began hatching Aviagen’s Ross 308 broiler for the Mozambique market on 5th November.
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Further plans for a Parent breeder farm are already underway whilst three poultry houses already on an existing Parent breeder farm will be refurbished to house broiler breeders.

Astral also plans to build three new broiler breeder sheds, allowing the hatchery to be self-sufficient in the supply of hatching eggs.

Source: World Poultry

A new breed of indigenous chicken breed has been introduced in the market. The new breed introduced by Kenya Agricultural Research Institute produces more eggs and meat and can be reared under free-range conditions.

According to the research findings released in the Organic Farmer Magazine, a publication of African Insect Science for Food and Health, the new breed adapts well with the local climatic conditions and management systems. If kept in good conditions, the research shows that a hen can produce between 220-280 eggs a year depending on the management system, the research report indicated.

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Uncertainty continues to cast a pall over Namibia’s fledgling poultry industry, has the government’s ended its protection of the infant industry too soon?

Local independent importers of poultry products are holding their breath as they wait to see how precisely the protection measures will affect their business.

South African poultry companies that import poultry products into Namibia have come out strongly against the protection measures. Namibia joins Zimbabwe, which has completely banned poultry products from South Africa.

South African poultry companies that export poultry products within SADC are suggesting that SADC considers banning products from outside the region, instead of putting up restrictions within the regional trade block.

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