Zimbabwe poultry industry tops US$1.2bn

Zimbabwe's poultry industry has surpassed a gross value of US$1,2 billion, underlining the sector's growing contribution to food security, employment creation and economic activity, the Zimbabwe Poultry Association (ZPA) has said.

Speaking at the inaugural Zimbabwe Poultry Expo 2026 in Harare, ZPA chairman Tizai Faranisi said the industry continued to expand across both commercial and free-range poultry production.

The expo was held under the theme: "Empowering Growth: Innovation and Accessibility in Poultry Farming."

"In 2025, the chicken industry produced 277 472 tonnes of meat, equivalent to 17,48 kilogrammes per capita and supplied 100,47 million dozen eggs to Zimbabwe consumers or 6,33 dozen eggs per capita," Dr Faranisi said.

He said small-to-medium scale commercial broiler farmers accounted for 69 percent of total production, while large-scale producers contributed 18 percent and village poultry producers made up 13 percent.

Dr Faranisi added that investments in breeding and hatchery operations had improved self-sufficiency levels to 95 percent in 2025.

The poultry industry also contributed additional protein supplies through spent hens and poultry offal, including chicken feet, livers, hearts and gizzards.

According to the ZPA, spent hens contributed 8 017 tonnes of meat last year, while offal production reached 57 098 tonnes. Combined with standard chicken meat production, total poultry meat supplied to the market rose to 341 588 tonnes, translating to 21,59 kilogrammes per person.

Statistics from the association show poultry feed now accounts for 78 percent of all stock feed manufactured in Zimbabwe, driving increased demand for cereals and oilseeds.

Dr Faranisi said broiler chick production was now growing faster than slaughter capacity, creating investment opportunities for small and medium-scale abattoirs, particularly outside major urban centres.

He also warned against the threat of avian influenza and illegal poultry imports.

"The message to all stakeholders is that we have to remain on high alert to the avian influenza scourge and have zero tolerance for illegal imports of poultry products, dead or alive," he said.

He called for stronger cooperation between government, industry and universities to develop national biosecurity standards aimed at preventing outbreaks of avian influenza.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Davis Marapira said the Expo provided an important platform for collaboration between local, regional and international stakeholders in the poultry value chain.

"This mixture will help us share ideas between feed manufacturers, breeders and farmers and allow the country to meet its target to produce more than 360 000 tonnes of chickens by 2030 and more than 200 million eggs per year by 2030," he said.

According to Zimbabwe's Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2 (AFSRTS 2) for 2026-2030, poultry production has expanded significantly due to rising demand for affordable protein, urbanisation and shorter production cycles compared to other livestock sectors.

However, the strategy document notes that growth continues to face challenges including high feed costs, disease outbreaks, illegal imports, limited financing and infrastructure shortages.

Under the blueprint, Zimbabwe aims to increase broiler production to 362 000 tonnes valued at US$3 billion by 2030, while egg production is projected to rise from 94 million dozen to 131 million dozen, valued at US$600 million.