According to 2Merkato.com, the mission, organized with an aim to bolster the collaboration between all important stakeholders in Ethiopian poultry sector, is expected to bring together the key players from the Ethiopian and Dutch poultry sector.

The Ministry of Agriculture, the Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research, commercial poultry farmers as well as many other key Ethiopian poultry players are on board for this important mission.

Due to the various constraints it is facing, the Ethiopian poultry sector is yet to satisfy the rising needs of customers. The Holland Africa Poultry Partners in collaboration with its partners organized ‘Ethiopian poultry mission to the Netherlands’ to professionalize the sector and improve the various impediments it is facing.

Poultry is becoming big business in Ethiopia. Especially in Debre Zeit and surroundings, the amount of poultry producers is rising fast, but still not fast enough to satisfy the bulging demand to commercial poultry products in the urban areas, most notably Addis Ababa. Restaurants and hotels often have to sell ‘no’ when asked for poultry dishes due to infrequent supply, while prices in supermarkets and other outlets keep on rising.

The Holland-Africa Poultry Partners is a group of Dutch poultry companies and knowledge institutes committed to enabling a stronger poultry sector in Ethiopia, while at the same time creating market opportunities for these Dutch companies in the future. In pursuing these objectives, they are supported by the Netherlands government, which recognizes the important contributions that can be provided when linking Dutch agribusiness expertise and knowledge with the Ethiopian demand.

During the mission, the Ethiopian delegation will amongst others visit Dutch commercial poultry farms and world-leading (practical) knowledge institutes in the field of poultry, have official meetings with the Ministry of Agriculture, meet the Dutch Poultry Board and are invited in business meetings with the Holland – Africa Poultry Partners.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture envisions the poultry sector, both chicken meat and eggs, as a key element in domestic food production. At the same time, it has expressed that the lead of the Ethiopian poultry sector is with the private sector. An important role for the development of the sector lies therefore with the Ethiopian poultry producers themselves and an organization like the Ethiopian Poultry Producers Association.

To stimulate the sector further, a Poultry Platform was launched on 16 May 2013 in Addis Ababa by five important stakeholders in the Ethiopian poultry sector; the Ethiopian Poultry Producers Association, the Holland-Africa Poultry Partners, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and the Netherlands Embassy. The five parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish their commitment to cooperate on the Ethiopian poultry sector.

Currently, the Ethiopian poultry value chain faces a series of constraints. To help curb these constraints, particularly those on the development of trained manpower, The Holland-Africa Poultry Partners have come to Ethiopia several times in the last two years to provide trainings, share knowledge, attend meetings and participate in the African Livestock Exhibition at the Exhibition Center from 16 to 18 May.

"Ethiopia is currently showing high economic growth figures and this is set to continue in the coming years. The poultry sector could play an important role in this path to growth and at the same time contribute to erasing pressing food security issues,’’ said Jan Kampschoer, Chairman of Holland-Africa Poultry Partners.

In earlier visits, the Holland Africa Poultry Partners, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Poultry Producers Association (EPPA), gave trainings on both layer (chickens for eggs) and broiler (chickens for meat) poultry for selected Ethiopian poultry farmers at the Animal Husbandry Department of the University in Debre Zeit. Moreover, they provided Hatchery Trainings at the Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research (EIAR), at the same location.

The future for Ethiopian poultry farming looks promising, and this is reflected in the increased attention and participation of Ethiopians in the business. The Dutch at the same time are sustainably committed to the sector and try to fill the knowledge gap that is currently present. This cooperation will lead to a mutually beneficial relationship, and the mission to the Netherlands will only make this relationship stronger.