BROILER PRODUCTION DWINDLES

By PENJANI NZIMA

THE production levels of broiler chickens have dwindled in the recent past due to high – cost of stock feed currently obtaining on the market some poultry farmers have confirmed.

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This challenge is very evident in different parts of this country where poultry farmers are being affected heavily causing them to reduce on the number of birds that they’re rearing thereby affecting their income levels.  

In an exclusive telephone interview with Oscar Sakala a poultry farmer based in Chisamba disclosed that the business is not doing fine as compared to the previous years due to high cost of feed.

“We’re stocking less numbers now because of the high cost of feed. We’re buying starter at K500/50Kg, grower K460/50Kg while finisher K460/50Kg,” explained Mr. Sakala.

He said one of the ways to keep his business afloat is to start making his own feed sometime in April after the rain season is over.

And in a separate telephone interview with Beaton Kaluba a poultry farmer from Katete district in Eastern province also confirmed that business is not okay in that part of the country due to high coat of feed.

He said the production level has really gone down due to high cost of feed that are currently obtaining on the market.

Mr. Kaluba noted that plans are under way to start considering making their own feed because the current stock feed prices are not making good business sense.

He emphasized that in this business of poultry it’s the volumes that count but how can one rear high volumes with feed fetching as high as K490/Kg for starter K490/Kg while grower is going at K480/Kg and finisher K475/Kg.

“Our plan we’re now focusing on producing our own feed. We bought the equipment but not yet installed it. We believe that if we deal with feed, it will be easy for us to expand our operations,” Mr. Kaluba said.  

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