Tanzania is stepping up cooperation with the Netherlands to strengthen poultry production as the government rolls out a decade-long strategy requiring an estimated 3.53 trillion shillings to transform the industry. The National Poultry Development Strategy, launched in August, aims to increase the sector's contribution to Gross Domestic Product from 1.8 per cent to three per cent by 2036 while expanding egg and poultry meat production.
The Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries said the strategy targets increasing annual egg production from 7.1 billion to 17.3 billion, poultry meat production from 156,000 tonnes to 380,000 tonnes and the production of quality day-old chicks from 104 million to 250 million. Achieving these targets will require approximately three million tonnes of poultry feed annually. The private sector is projected to contribute 60 per cent of the total investment, with development partners providing 25 per cent and the government 15 per cent.
More than four million households, equivalent to 55 per cent of households engaged in agriculture and livestock keeping, rear poultry in Tanzania. The sector currently contributes 1.8 per cent of GDP, equivalent to more than 5 trillion shillings, and accounts for 30 to 40 per cent of output from the livestock sector. The Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands said cooperation would focus on animal nutrition, modern equipment, poultry housing, research and innovation.
The Poultry Association of Tanzania identified high production costs, shortages of animal feed and limited access to finance as major challenges facing poultry farmers. The government views the poultry sector as strategic for the national economy, supporting food security, nutrition, household incomes and employment.