Uncertainties and delays over processing foreign payments are hitting animal feed manufacturers in Zimbabwe, reports News Day.
With the country’s livestock feed producers heavily dependent on imports of key animal feed ingredients such as corn, soybean meal and micro ingredients, these delays are leading to manufacturing delays, reduced output and lower revenues.
For the last quarter of 2016, poultry feeds accounted for 66 percent of the country’s total feed output in volume, and 73 percent in value, according to chairman of the Zimbabwe Poultry Association, Solomon Zawe.
With prices of most raw materials higher in that quarter than in the same period of 2015, Zawe said the output of broiler starter, pullet grower and layer feeds were down by as much as 14 percent, 37 percent, and 28 percent, respectively. There was a 2 percent increase in the production of broiler finisher diets, while there was no change in the volume of grower feed.
Compared with the previous quarter, broiler and layer feeds were on average 4 percent and 2 percent, respectively, more expensive in the October to December quarter.
In November 2016, it was reported that challenges affecting Zimbabwe’s chicken meat and egg sectors were adversely impacting the country’s animal feed industry. At that time, 75 percent of national feed production was destined for use by the poultry sector.
