Local Day Old Chicks In Short Supply

Zimbabwe Poultry Association (ZPA) has said that there’s a local shortage of Day Old Chicks and that Zimbabwe is having to rely on imports from non-SADC countries. ZPA stats show that local production of hatching eggs declined from 7.4 million in December 2017 to 5.5 million in March 2018. Egg imports increased from 1.35 million in November 2017 to 5 million in March 2018.

The shortage of breeder birds has been caused by the outbreak of avian influenza in May 2017.  There’s therefore increased reliance on imports of hatching eggs until the end of the year when local production is expected to recover to pre-avia influenza levels.

More: The Standard