Presidential Poultry Scheme earns farmers rich pickings

Source: Presidential Poultry Scheme earns farmers rich pickings | The Herald

Presidential Poultry Scheme earns farmers rich pickings
Zimbabwe Freerange Poultry Producers Association employee, Mr Seddington Siliyo, sorts chicks that were brought by farmers towards the Presidential Rural Poultry Scheme at Harare Showgrounds yesterday. — Picture Lynn Munjanja

Elita Chikwati and George Maponga

THE Presidential Rural Poultry Scheme is already showing signs of its economic potency along the value chain with some poultry producers now reaping profits from supplying eggs and chicks.

The scheme, which is targeting at least three million households countrywide, is set to commercialise rural poultry production and increase rural incomes while providing households with a rich source of protein.

The programme, which President Mnangagwa is expected to launch in Masvingo soon, has seen some smallholder poultry producers, mostly women and youths, capitalising on the opportunity to supply fertilised eggs and day-old chicks with some proceeding to start new business ventures using their earnings.

The breeds of the chickens will include Boschveld, Sasso, Kuroiler, and indigenous chickens, among others.

Suppliers are paid on a monthly basis for the day-old chicks and eggs supplied through the Zimbabwe Free Range Poultry Association (ZFRPA).

Most of the suppliers have increased production while others are employing more staff to help with their projects.

Poultry producer, Mr Francis Zuze, said he supplies an average of 60 crates of fertilised eggs per week towards the Presidential Rural Poultry Scheme and this has helped him start a new project of cattle ranching.

“Most farmers started supplying the eggs and I supply an average of 1 800 fertilised eggs weekly for hatching and have since bought seven heifers using proceeds from poultry.

“Supplying fertilised eggs has helped me grow into a commercial entity,” he said.

In line with development that leaves no one and no place behind, the scheme, though primarily focusing on rural areas, will also benefit urbanites.

Mrs Loina Mironga of Chitungwiza said she used to struggle to get buyers for her indigenous chickens but she has since taken advantage of the Presidential Rural Poultry Scheme to supply day-old chicks.

“I deliver day-old chicks to the Zimbabwe Free Range Poultry Association at the Exhibition Park in Harare. I have been supplying chicks since November and the business has proved to be viable,” she said.

Mrs Farai Mashazhu of Greencroft suburb in the capital, who started supplying fertilised eggs recently, said the programme was good as it created a ready market for her products.

“I am guaranteed of a market and plan knowing that I will get my money without hassles. I am supplying eggs but will soon be supplying chicks,” she said.

ZFRPA secretary general, Mrs Beauty Jiji, said their association had more than 1 000 smallholder free-range poultry producers across the country who are supplying day-old chicks on a weekly basis or bringing fertilised eggs for hatching.

“Those with limited access to hatchery units, ZFRPA has organised with a commercial hatchery who then hatches the eggs and the association gets the day-old chicks. There are also small hatchery units that are providing services to participating farmers across the country from which day-old chicks are then received besides the commercial hatchery,” she said.

Currently, the association is receiving more than 50 000 day-old chicks and more than 60 000 fertilised eggs on a weekly basis from farmers across the country.

Mrs Jiji said the association had set up brooding centres across the country where day-old chicks are looked after (fed, watered, heat managed, vaccinated and disease managed) until dispatch.

“The birds multiply quickly and easily. With 10 chickens, a farmer can easily multiply them to 100 within a short space of time.

“The chickens can be easily managed as feeds are supplemented with locally produced small grains and sunflower once beneficiaries are trained in feed formulation.

“Free range chickens provide a cheaper form of protein-eggs, and meat thereby improving household nutrition and food security,” said Mrs Jiji.

Some producers said free-range chickens had a ready market as more consumers were becoming health cautious. Beneficiaries of this project will

also earn an income by selling mature birds.

Some of the players who are set to benefit from the programme are fowl-run owners — who are leasing their structures as brooding centres — feed manufacturers, veterinary suppliers, agro-dealers supplying drinkers, feeders, and lights among other things, and transporters who ferry the eggs and chicks to the hatcheries and brooding centres.

The scheme will involve the distribution of free-range poultry chicks’ to rural households in groups over a period of five years. The first beneficiaries will each get 10 unsexed chicks, 10kg free-range poultry starter mash, and one sachet of vitamin stress mix pack per household.

Ministry of Lands, Agriculture Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Chief Director responsible for Agriculture Advisory Services, Dr Obert Jiri, said the poultry scheme will be rolled out countrywide.

“Extension officers will also undergo an in-service refresher-training course on rural poultry production and proceed to capacitate all beneficiaries through regular training and advisory services in rural poultry production. The training will cover aspects of housing, feeds, disease, and breed management of rural poultry,” he said.

The Sipambi community in Masvingo Central, where the scheme will be launched, showered praises on President Mnangagwa for coming up with the programme that is expected to benefit nearly 2 000 households in ward 11 under Charumbira communal lands.

Rearing of indigenous chickens under the Presidential poultry scheme will boost the nutrition and incomes of the rural folk with the programme expected to expand to other parts of Masvingo province and the nation at large.

When The Herald visited Sipambi yesterday, workmen were putting final touches on hatching, brooding, and dispatch facilities for chicks that will be distributed to households with each beneficiary getting 10 chicks.

Mrs Miriam Hahlani of Hapazari village near Sipambi thanked President Mnangagwa for being a hands-on leader who attends to people’s challenges.

“We want to thank President Mnangagwa for implementing the rural poultry scheme because besides boosting our nutrition, the programme will also earn us income through the sale of chickens,” she said.

The same sentiments were echoed by Mrs Janet Chinamora of Takunyai village who described the poultry project as a game-changer for the rural folk.

“Our unemployed youths will have something to do as they will be the engines of this poultry scheme which will earn them an income. We want to thank President Mnangagwa for his hands-on leadership approach which seeks to provide solutions to people’s problems especially us in rural areas.”

Takunyai village head Mr Batanai Dzviriri said the impending launch of the poultry scheme in his area by President Mnangagwa marks a new era for his people.

“We want to thank the President because, besides direct benefits from the poultry programme, our unemployed youths are also getting jobs as they are being hired to build facilities to be used under the programme, we are very happy,” he said.

Ward 11 Councillor Cde Petros Jorodhani said Sipambi will never be the same again.

“Our people will be trained in poultry production and the programme will be expanded to cover the whole province meaning the problem of unemployment will be a thing of the past as our young people will have something to earn them an income. We want to thank President Mnangagwa,” he said.

COMMENTS

WORDPRESS: 1
  • comment-avatar
    Ndebele 2 years ago

    Goodness me – what will the next Presidential Scheme be? Perhaps it could have been the Pheasant Plucker Scheme – but he would not qualify – so it would have be The Unpheasant Plucker Presidential Scheme?