Chicken project gets GRN protection

The country’s first large scale commercial poultry plant has received  a major boost from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, after the Ministry placed a 46% excise duty on all poultry products coming into the country.
General manager of Namibia Poultry Industries, Gys White, said this week the infant industry protection for the N$500 million project is scheduled to be operational by 1 June 2012. The project will enjoy the protection status for the next eight years – with 46% in the next four years, 30% for two years and thereafter 20% in the last two years.
Construction of the ambitious project, confident of meeting the entire country’s poultry and poultry meat products needs, is drawing to its closing stages with most of the close to 120 000 m3 of structures already completed and the final installation and commissioning of equipment taking place during March and April.
All three rearing complexes of the breeder farm have been placed with parent stock beginning 1 November 2011. The first placement is expected to be transferred to the first of six laying farms in the next two weeks. The project is also expected to have its own fertile eggs available to its hatchery in April 2012.
The hatchery is close to being fully commissioned and the first eggs were placed for setting on 26 February 2012 with the first day old chicks expected on 19 March.
Namib Poultry Industries, a division of the Namib Mills group, said it is in the process of importing fertile eggs until its own laying farm will be in full production and able to supply the full demand of its hatchery.
Progress has also been made with the construction of the broiler houses with the first farms ready to receive day old broiler chicks on 19 March. The day old chicks will be grown for up to five weeks to supply the abattoir with its first birds for slaughtering in the week starting 16 April 2012.
Initially, Namib Poultry Industries will produce 100,000 birds per week before going into full production by the end of May. At full production, the project is expected to produce 250,000 birds per week, although White said the facility has the capacity to expand production to 500,000 birds per week.
White said he is confident their brands will do well on the market despite competition from established South African brands. “We have done extensive market research on the current brands. We have tested our developed brands and they have been well received,” he said.
For now, White said they will only concentrate on satisfying the local market before venturing into the export market. “We want to look at the local market and the future will determine what we do. My immediate focus wont be on the export market.”