Here comes mammoth project for 2,400 smallholder chicken farmers

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.