THE poultry industry in Zimbabwe recorded a 15% slump in the third quarter of 2015 producing about 18 million broiler day old chicks, an industry official has said.
BY MTHANDAZO NYONI
Zimbabwe Poultry Association chairperson, Solomon Zawe said, in the quarter under review, returns showed continued decline in breeder production stocks with three-year lows for numbers of growing and in-production birds.
“Production of day old chicks was also suppressed and averaged 6,3 million birds per month in the third quarter of 2015. This was 9% lower than production in the second quarter of 2015 and 15% lower than production in the third quarter of 2014. Similarly, chick prices in the third quarter of 2015 were also depressed at $67 per 100 chicks,” he said.
Zawe said the number of birds slaughtered and total dressed weight of broiler meat in the large scale chicken abattoirs during the third quarter of 2015 were 1,9 million birds and 3 063 mt per month, which was 10% down on the second quarter returns.
“Similarly, the average producer price decreased by 4%, while wholesale prices of whole birds and chicken portions declined by 8 to 9% in the third quarter relative to the second quarter,” he said.
In September 2015, Zawe said the price of 2kg chicken portions, at $2,69/kg was equivalent to the producer price on a cold dressed weight basis. At the same time, average stockholdings in the third quarter of 2015 were 1 403mt/month, he said.
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Zawe said in-production layer breeders were at an all-time low in the third quarter of 2015 at an average stockholding of 25 584 birds per month.
“However, stocks of growing birds continue to increase and stockholdings in the third quarter were 58% higher than those in the second quarter and 50% higher than stockholdings in the third quarter of 2014. Notably, breeder chick sales and retentions in the third quarter of 2015 were 105% higher than those of the third quarter of 2014,” he said.
Zawe said the reduced production of layer hatching eggs in 2015 were offset by a large increase in imports, which resulted in record production of sexed pullets of 275 708 per month compared to average monthly production of 179 725 pullets in 2013 and 171 346 in 2014.
Zawe also revealed that Zimbabwe imported about 1,5 million kilogrammes of chicken valued at more than $800 000 from South Africa between January and September last year.
