Karen Mhlanga, H-Metro Reporter
GIANT eggs and chickens’ producer Irvine’s Zimbabwe has called on to the government to intervene so that they increase productivity.
David Irvine, the CEO of Irvine’s, yesterday pleaded with the Minister of Industry and Commerce Sekai Nzenza saying the operational costs were making it hard for them.
Minister Sekai Nzenza touring Irvine’s Plant
“There are a large number of permits required in imports and exports at an ever increasing cost. We are talking to the government, but very little progress has been achieved,” said the CEO.
He said the 20 percent foreign currency retention needed to be dropped and access to foreign currency had to be improved for all exporters.
Irvine said they needed foreign currency for genetics, vaccines, stock-feed ingredient and for equipment to develop their business.
“There is an ever increasing tendency by government agencies to charge fees and taxes in foreign currency further reducing the amount of foreign currency available to run the business,” he said.
Minister Sekai Nzenza (centre) and David Irvine (left)
They are also having problems with the Department of Veterinary Services in disease monitoring and prevention as they are still to agree on a response programme or countrywide monitoring programme in the wake of the Avian flu that hit the industry two years ago.
Minister Nzenza said one of the key challenges government had heard were delays at the border when trucks were coming from South Africa with raw materials.
She said her ministry would seriously look into the issue.
“Delays and inefficiencies at border posts, particularly with regard to maize receipts which can take up to six days.”
In Zimbabwe since 1950, Irvine`s are market leaders in the poultry industry and now exist in over 20 African countries including Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania.
“Our purpose is to change lives and we are achieving this by investing in our people, modern facilities and impleading global best practices to produce the highest quality products that our customers can trust.
“Today we are proud that in Zimbabwe, poultry production has become one of the fastest growing projects especially for the unemployed youths. It has become one of the easy to go project that is creating employment and earning a living for thousands of families,” said Irvine
As part of Irvine’s economic empowerment initiatives, about 35 percent of Irvine’s day old chick production are grown by contract farmers, these farmers grow the broilers on behalf of the company and bring them back to the Irvine’s processing plant for slaughter, thereby guaranteeing them with a ready market.
These farmers are required to adhere to the strict Irvine’s and government’s veterinary bio-security standards in order to adhere to quality assurance.
The remaining 65 percent of chick production is sold to small-scale farmers in the rural areas who grow the birds and sell them locally. The total number of birds amounts to 20 Million a year, earning the rural producers $1,7 billion .
Irvine’s have been a major producer of The Cobb 500 Broiler, the world’s leading broiler which has good growth rate, high liveability and low feed conversion.
“Irvine’s Zimbabwe’s commercial hatchery is the only hatchery in in the country that is SABS ISO22 000 certified assuring our customers of the best quality day old chicks.”
– HMETRO
