eBusiness Weekly
Michael Tome
HARARE – Local firm Durworth Investments, has partnered with a Turkish-based chicken breeding company Pak Tavuk for chicks and fertilised egg distribution a move that is set to boost local poultry industry.
This comes at a time when the country is recovering from immense stock depletion following the Avian Infuenza outbreak in 2016.
Local producers have lately been struggling to meet the product demand for day old chicks with some waiting for lengthy period to collect after payment.
As part of the deal, Durworth Investments, which has operations in both Zimbabwe and Mozambique will be the sole distributor of Pak Tavuk`s Ross 308 broiler eggs in Zimbabwe.
The fertilised eggs which will be distributed for immediate hatching are expected to be averaging 20 000 eggs a week.
Durworth Investments Director Douglas Nhando, said the initiative came about after noticing a gap in the local market.
“Zimbabwe and Southern Africa have not fully recovered from the time their chicken population was drastically reduced due to Avian Influenza around 2016. Since then, the supply side of chicken has not normalized,” Mr Nhando said.
“We want to ensure that farmers do not have to queue for chicks like they do now. We will just be bringing eggs and they incubate them on their own, then they have their own chicks,” he said.
“The breed we will be distributing is a top breed which is currently in low supply in this region. The deal we signed with Pak Tavuk will help us populate the country with Ross 308 broilers.
People can form cooperatives to engage with big hatcheries to incubate their eggs if they do not have individual facilities,” said Nhando.
Pak Tavuk is a Turkish company which produces fertilised eggs and supplies over 18 African countries with eggs and Zimbabwe is set to be an addition to the list.
Government recently gazetted the extension of Statutory Instrument 279 of 2018 which entails the suspension of customs and excise duty on selected critical commodities and fertilised eggs for hatching were part of them amongst other products like skimmed milk powder, fertilisers, raw wine, luxury and public service buses.
Many Zimbabweans have been venturing in chicken breeding as part of widening their income base, this move will ease pressure on day old chick suppliers who have been failing to aptly match the demand.
