Irvine’s targets S.A market

LIVINGSTONE MARUFU 

Irvine’s Zimbabwe, the country’s largest egg producer,   is planning to produce 330m  eggs this year compared to last year’s comparative figure  of 300m eggs  with the intention of exporting the excess  to South Africa, which is currently  experiencing  a severe  outbreak  of the  deadly poultry flu.

Anele Zungah, the commercial director of Irvine’s, an associate of Innscor Africa Limited, stated that there was a significant demand for eggs in South Africa.

“The company will increase production this year. We are targeting to produce 330m eggs for the full year,with surplus being exported to South Africa where eggs have become the hottest commodity,” Zungah told Business Times.

In its consolidated financial results for the year to June 30, 2023, Innscor Africa Limited said Irvine’s achieved a 14.4% increase in volumes to 24.58m dozens.

According to experts, South Africa has the highest egg consumption per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa, with an average of 169 eggs consumed annually per person.

However, an outbreak of the avian flu has forced producers to cull a large percentage of their birds, forcing customers in some cases to purchase a maximum of six eggs, resulting in a shortage of poultry and eggs in South Africa at the moment.

Compared to South Africa’s 169 eggs per person per year, the per capita egg consumption in Zimbabwe and the Sub-Saharan region is estimated to be just 24 eggs per person per year, or just 2 eggs per month.

Since the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak this year, over 7m birds have been culled in the South African poultry industry.

Leading poultry producer Astral Foods reported that the outbreak has cost the company US$11.5m thus far.

It will take the poultry industry, according to farmers and industry experts, six months to replace the chickens it culled, so any shortage of poultry products could extend into 2024 .

Nonetheless, there remains significant opposition to the importation of poultry products in South Africa. Analysts argue that rather than augmenting imports, the government ought to contemplate endorsing the domestic poultry industry via a compensation fund to counterbalance the damages resulting from avian influenza.

Recently, Innscor stated that it is on high alert and has already taken precautions against the flu by restricting the movement of people, feed, and farm equipment.

The government has taken action by activating Rapid Response Teams through Veterinary Services and initiating public awareness campaigns to inform stakeholders in the poultry industry value chain about the critical need to bolster biosecurity measures.