Renson Mwakandana
Tanzania has banned all imports of day-old chicks, which will take effect the next week to safeguard its domestic hatcheries and reduce the flow of substandard chicks.
The prohibition, which goes into force on July 30, is intended to safeguard the regional poultry market, according to a statement released on Monday by the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries.
Abdallah Ulega, the deputy minister for fisheries and livestock, announced that as of this coming Saturday, the government will no longer grant import licenses for chicken.
This came following a discussion with corporate leaders in the poultry industry in the capital Dodoma. According to Mr. Ulega, the government is presently gathering information from the poultry business to determine the need for day-old chicks.
Organia and Mkuza Chicks, two local hatcheries, have complained about the increase of illegal chicks being sold for less money. The majority of incubators in the nation charge Tsh2,000 ($0.85) on average for day-old chicks, compared to Tsh1,200 ($0.5) for smuggled chicks.
To safeguard local farmers, Tanzania prohibited the importation of chicks and fresh chicken meat from Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, and the US in 2016.
On October 31, 2017, some 6,400 chicks brought into Arusha from Kenya through the Namanga border crossing were destroyed by the government. Later, the restriction was lifted.
The majority of the day-old chick imports come from South Africa and the United Kingdom, with sizeable imports coming from Kenya and Zambia.
