The African country of Tanzania is facing a poultry shortage and subsequent hike in chicken prices, largely due to trade bans its government has implemented.
In addition, Tanzania Poultry Breeders Association Secretary General Manase Mrindwa told The EastAfrican that some companies have discontinued the production of day-old chicks, leading to a shortage of broilers and layers. Breeders, according to a report from AllAfrica, say they have failed to produce enough chicken due to the high taxes charged on the importation of parent-stock, which produces fertilized eggs.
The shortage comes shortly after Tanzania placed bans on poultry imports from neighboring countries. Nations that border Tanzania include Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.
There is also a ban on the import of poultry from the United States to Tanzania. That ban has been in place since 2014, claiming that the import of inexpensive poultry creates unfair competition to domestic poultry producers.
Several efforts have been made in recent years to bolster the Tanzanian poultry industry. In 2016, leading Tanzanian poultry and agriculture specialist Organia partnered with Pas Reform to revive its regional production center into the country's leading supplier of day-old chicks. Earlier that year, Hybrid Poultry Farm, the Cobb franchise distributor in Zambia, opened a new parent hatchery on its farm at Kabwe.
