Both local and imported poultry could not sustain the market. The demand for this commodity was much higher than the supply and consumers had to pay the price as prices hiked to over E20 per kilo.

Such a situation is undesirable as this does not only affect the market, but both consumers and farmers equally. At the moment the outlook of the poultry industry is generally positive for the year 2007.

If one just analyses the way in which the sale of chickens has been growing lately, the growth trend is expected to remain positive even this year. The demand for broilers and eggs is expected to remain good with the price of broilers growing faster than the chickens.

As good as this might be for the small-scale Swazi farmer, it is not so good for the consumer. The demand for chicken is overwhelming and this could be partly attributed to the fact that as much as red meat still remains the best meat for most Swazis, due to health reasons chicken has become the ultimate choice. To add on that, there is a bigger demand for quick meals, not only fast foods, but easy to prepare meals from supermarkets and evidently, chicken is a component of most fast foods. We all know that once demand is high, the price is automatically hiked as well.

Source: The Swazi Observer