International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Regional Project Manager, Dr Tadelle Dessie at one of the poultry farms during the inauguration of African chicken Genetic gains (ACGG) in Dar es Salaam |
A project dubbed ‘African Chicken Genetic Gains (ACGG) project which focuses on identification, testing and multiplication and delivery at scale of highly-productive chicken strains in Sub-Saharan Africa has been launched in Dar es Salaam recently.
If all goes well the project is expected to benefit a total of 2400
smallholder chicken farmers household in the country’s ten regions.
The project will facilitate availability of 48,000 of tropically
adapted improved chickens, which focus on women smallholder farmers that
would increase their income due to the fact that 70 percent of the
chicken producers in Africa are women, and therefore will be the key
drivers of the transformation of the chicken value chain.
Regions that will benefit for the five years project started in
year 2015 reach and end in year 2019 are including Lindi, Mtwara,
Morogoro, Tanga, Mbeya, Njombe, Dodoma, Sindiga, Simiyu and Mwanza as
well as include 20 districts and 80 villages.
Last week in Dar es Salaam the Tanzania Livestock Research
Institute (TALIRI), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI),
Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and other partners officially
launched the ACGG project which is funded by Melina and Bill Gates
Foundation with a cost of 32bn/- and the government of Tanzania
contributed USD 950,000.
Is also going to be launched in Ethiopia and Nigeria in three weeks
to come. ACGG is also expected to develop Public-Private Partnership
(PPP) to make available farmer-preferred genotypes to increase
smallholder chicken productivity.
In another words the project is expected to make smallholders
access at least three generically improved chickens of their choice with
potential for faster growth and more egg production as compared to most
of indigenous or local ecotypes.
ACGG Project Manager, Dr Tadelle Dessie from ILRI says current
chicken ecotypes kept by are slow growers and lay eggs of small size
which is less than 60 eggs per year per hen but through this project the
productivity level is expected to grow by 300 percent adding that they
can be able to get more consumers and improve their income and
livelihoods.
Dr Dessie who is also a Scientist- Animal Genetics Breeding added
if they will satisfy their household needs and local market needs the
surplus can be able to export whereby the income per capital will
increase as well as the government will get more revenue collection.
Explained on sustainability of the project after the fund ending
said, both countries will collaborate by stakeholders to rise their own
funds purposely for ensuring that the programme is spread to other
regions.
He said a research showed that in Tanzania one local hen can
produce 60 eggs per year which is very low stating that through ACGG a
chicken can produce between 180 to 200 eggs whereby smallholders will be
able to increase their income and livelihoods.
He said the ACGG test on-station and on-farm a number of chicken
strains including Kuroiler, Fayoumi, Koekoek, and Sasso from India,
Egypt, South Africa and Ethiopia, respectively, which can be raised
within a short period and produce eggs and meat. Chicken industry in
Tanzania is growing but it can grow more and meet local market demands.
ACGG Country Project Leader Dr Ezekiel Goromela said after the
launching in two weeks later they will conduct a baseline survey with
the aim at making evaluation and identifying interested farmers.
“We will involve private sector who will become a big suppliers so
that once the fund ends the project would continue instead of dying. We
select this region because is leading for poultry local chicken” he
said.
An interview by this paper to local chicken traders in various
market found that the price is between 15,000/- to 20,000/- while
broiler is 5,500/- to 5,000/- each.
A trader at Mbezi Luis market Mchome Faustine said they travel up
to Tanga or Morogoro seeking for products and sometimes cannot find. He
also said that the prices sometimes are expensive depending on the
season.
“For example during Eid El Fitr the price will be more. This
business is very difficult. We continue with it because we don’t want to
lose our customers The profit is very low,” he said.
Another one from Mwenge market Priva Selestine said very few
people produce local and that is why the price is high because the
supply is low. Also the local chicken are very vulnerable to diseases.
A farmer at Kinondoni Mama Joshua said: I have been keeping local
chicken for a long time but they always get diseases and die in numbers.
I have decided to abandon them and shift to broilers.
She said the government has to do more in supporting smallholder
farmers by giving them training so that they could produce local chicken
because there is a lot of market for them.
TALIRI Acting Director General Dr Daniel Komwihangilo said the
government has an important role to play in supporting this project and
facilitating the advancement of the poultry value chains by contributing
to infrastructure improvements, addressing policy challenges and the
promotion of the chicken industry as a source of employment and poverty
alleviation.
Dr Komwihangilo said that this can be achieved through the
formation and nurturing of public private partnerships to contribute and
support the chicken value chain in Tanzania.
The poultry industries face numerous challenges regarding disease,
management and recognise current efforts. “We would like to appeal to
the government to pay special attention of the area of bio-security and
disease control especially recognising the devastating industry-wide
economic impact of poultry disease outbreaks”.
He added in promoting the poultry sector to become even a bigger
contributor to GDP and alleviating, empowering women and enhancing
livelihood.
Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development Permanent Secretary
Dr Yohana Budeba said the project come as the right time when farmers
seeking different ways of improving production of local chickens since
the demand is very high.
PS noted that the local village chickens play significant
socio-economic roles as they meat and eggs to the majority of the rural
and urban people.
Recent statistic indicate the population of local chicken in the
country is 37 million and 32 million are commercial chickens, adding
local chickens are kept by over 72 percent of the rural households and
play very important cultural, nutritional and economic roles.
“I am glad the ACGG project that we are launching today has taken
note of this and intend to make smallholders access genetically improved
chickens that have greater potential for growth and eggs production.
Generally they provide eggs and meat as a source of rich animal protein
food security and are sources of income for various household needs” he
said.
He explained that the income from the chicken meat and eggs should
not be neglected basing on the current price of 1kg chicken meat is
about 10,000/- while each egg is 400/-.
Therefore the yearly monetary value of chicken meat produced in
Tanzania is over 874bn/- while the value of eggs is 364 bn/-, thus the
total monetary value of chicken meat and eggs is 1.2bn/- per year.
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