One of the leading hatcheries in Mozambique, Higest says it will start importing hatching eggs for the production of chicks from Europe as of Tuesday.

Higest general director, Mario Couto said on Tuesday that, with the importation of hatching eggs from Europe, the company’s offering was expected to normalise within two weeks.

The official did not reveal the amount of money to be spent for initial capital investment.

The prohibition on the import or transit of live poultry, wild birds and fresh and frozen meat from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Congo is the result of an outbreak of avian influenza.

The ban also covers the import of day-old chicks, fertile and consumer eggs, products of poultry origin for use in animal feed or for agricultural or industrial purposes.

The national poultry industry is beginning to feel the effects of these measures and to avoid a chicken shortage the government has authorized recourse to the European market.

Higest is one of the companies supplying chickens, feeds and medicines for poultry.

According to Couto, procurement and air transport costs are however twice as high as those from South Africa and other neighbouring countries.

Addressing a media briefing during the visit of the Minister of Industry and Commerce to the company’s facilities in Machava, Matola municipality late on Tuesday, Couto said that Higest produces about 230,000 chickens a week, some of which are sold to the small domestic poultry farmers which satisfy about half of national poultry demand.

Couto said that his firm still has no problems supplying chicken, as it currently has 360 tonnes of frozen chicken in stock and was slaughtering an average of 16 to 17 tonnes per day.

Source: Journal du Cameroun