FARMING: Dividends recorded in poultry industry

Statistics from the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) show that egg production has increased from 1,620 tonnes in 2007 to 1,983 tonnes last year. The prices of eggs and chickens on the local market have stabilised in the last eight months which has been attributed to inrease in production. According to the Director General of Rwanda Animal Resource Development Authority (RARDA), Dr Theogéne Rutagwenda, the increase in egg production and availability of chickens on the market is due to the importation of chicks from Malawi. A mini-survey carried out by The New Times, egg prices depreciated from Rwf120 to Rwf100 whereas that of chickens dropped from Rwf4,000 to Rwf3,500 on average. Rutagwenda explained that, “We imported 4,006 day-old chicks from Malawi after government lifted a ban on the importation of poultry and its products in 2007.” This was after East and Central African region was declared free from the avian flu virus threat in 2007. The fast growing chicks from Malawi included layers and broilers which are reared at the RARDA head offices in Rubirizi. There are currently over 6,300 layers and 4,000 broilers at the Rubirizi based poultry farm. “Eggs are either hatched or sold to the local market as well as broilers and off-layers,” Rutagwenda stressed. Importation of Malawi chicks is believed to have caused the revival of egg production figures. Statistics from the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) show that egg production has increased from 1,620 tonnes in 2007 to 1,983 tonnes last year. Before the importation of chicks from Malawi, prices of poultry products have been fluctuating in the last two years, due to the ban on the imports in of the avian flu virus. The Kigali hatchery which could provide up to 10,000 chicks per day was also stopped, following the outbreak of the flu in Europe where the parent stocks were imported from. This caused a stiff decline in egg production from 3,402 tonnes in 2003, the highest in ten years, to 1,620 tonnes in 2007, the lowest since 2002. With the current stable prices of chickens and eggs, the private sector has been urged to start importing poultry products. Ends