The regularising of imports and removal of import duty on soybean meal have resulted in the local poultry producers competing with the South Africa, Zimbabwe Poultry Association chairman, Solomon Zawe, has said.

Speaking at the ZPA annual general meeting in Harare last week, Mr Zawe said there has been a remarkable decline of imported poultry products on the market, reports The Herald.

He said Brazilian chickens were no longer coming to Zimbabwe and this was a positive move for the local producers who were failing to compete with the cheap imports.

“Despite having to import most feed ingredients especially maize and soya now, we can compete with the South African poultry products,” he said.

The Agricultural Competitiveness Programme, Livestock and Meat Advisory Council and the ZPA lobbied for the removal of duty on soybean meal, implementation of duty on wheat flour to promote local milling of wheat and the removal of surtax on hatching eggs.

“Following the implementation of new duties there has been a significant reduction in the presence of imported poultry products on the market and the department of Livestock and Veterinary services has reported a decline in permit applications and collections,” he said.

Mr Zawe, however, noted with concern the re-emergence of poultry and pork bones from unapproved plants.

“We have also noted that lower quality imported table eggs are resurfacing on the market,” he said.

The poultry industry’s growth is being attributed to the small-scale sector, concludes the report in The Herald. Table egg production has been estimated to have increased to 5.4 million dozens per month with 50 per cent of it coming from the small-scale sector.