By JUDITH NAMUTOWE-
THE Poultry Association of Zambia (PAZ) has appealed to the Government to push for the implementation of the bilateral agreement between Zambia and Democratic of Congo (DRC), legalising export of poultry products to that country.
PAZ executive manager Dominic Chanda said in an interview in Lusaka that there was need for Government to push for the quick implementation of the bilateral agreement with DRC to legalise further the market of Zambian poultry products in that vast market.
Mr Chanda said the poultry industry had seen a number of openings in terms of market within the region with the most prominent being the DRC.
“However, you have to understand that, with the DRC market, there had been a number of challenges which the Government is trying to address.
“Currently, we are trading with DRC under Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC),” he said before adding that:
“But DRC is not implementing the two protocols, hence the need for the Government to push for the quicker implementation of bilateral agreement with DRC.”
Mr Chanda said the finalisation of the agreement would legalise and open the DRC market further for Zambia’s poultry products.
He said there was also huge potential for Zambia’s poultry products in Angola.
“We have seen huge investment going into infrastructure development. So we hope that the route could be completed within the shortest time, so that exports in that country can become lucrative,” Mr Chanda said.
The poultry industry has registered an impressive growth in terms of eggs and meat production.
This is has been spurred largely by small-scale farmers who constitute about 65 per cent of the sector.
Mr Chanda noted that the broiler sector also recorded a growth with annual chick production of 68 million in 2013 which was induced by the small-scale farmers.
The sector has to date created over 80,000 direct jobs and tremendous number in indirect jobs.