Kenya traders have turned to Uganda poultry farmers for affordable eggs in the wake of rising poultry feed and production costs, according to reports.
Traders are finding it cheaper to cross the border into Uganda and purchase eggs there for consumption or resale in Kenya. According to farmers, the cost of chicken feed is lower in Uganda due to ingredients like omena and maize being more plentiful. “Remains from maize and cassavas are easily available due to high production of the two crops compared to Kenya," said John Mugisha, an egg trader in Uganda. "This is used to feed chicks. This means one can make feed at the farm level and does not necessarily need to go for the processed product.”
Mugisha said the government has also subsidized the cost of poultry drugs and vaccines to encourage more small-scale farmers to engage in poultry production.
