Supply side of chicken imports remains conditional

RETHABILE MOHONO

MASERU – The chicken ban has been wholly lifted, but local farmers are still required to purchase from specific provinces that are less affected by Avian influenza (bird flu). These provinces include Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Kwa-Zulu Natal. The Minister of Agriculture, Thabo Mafosi, announced that the ban was lifted on Wednesday this week. He explained that this decision was made after assessing the bird flu situation in South Africa and determining that the selected provinces had a lower incidence of the sickness.

The lifting occurs after a four-month ban of chicken Lesotho due to Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, which is a viral infection that can affect both birds and humans. Symptoms of bird flu in humans include cough, diarrhea, respiratory difficulties, fever, headache, muscle aches, malaise, runny nose, and sore throat. The virus is transmitted to humans through contact with infected bird feces, nasal secretions, or secretions from the mouth or eyes.

The Ministry of Agriculture’s Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Relebohile Lepheeane, announced that permits will be issued to local chicken farmers who are required to purchase from specific provinces. Additionally, he emphasized the implementation of new measures at the border to test and sanitize trucks transporting chickens in order to prevent the spread of disease, as the situation is still ongoing.

Meanwhile, chairperson of the local poultry suppliers association, Mantsane Ntekoa, expressed her satisfaction with the government’s decision to permit the importation of chicks from South Africa. “After enduring prolonged disputes, we are now ready to resume our business operations. Despite the challenges ahead, we are happy that we won the battle,” she said.

Looking back, the idea of importing chicken from South Africa to Lesotho appeared implausible. Consequently, small poultry business owners voiced their discontent with the government’s discriminatory treatment towards them in relation to the buying and selling of chicken, especially when compared to larger enterprises.

Their dissatisfaction stems from the government’s exclusive permission for the importation of frozen chicken into the country, which came after a four-month prohibition on poultry products in Lesotho. The ban was implemented due to Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, to ensure the safety and security of Lesotho’s poultry industry. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, specifically its Department of Livestock Services, took this necessary action. As a result, all import permits for poultry and poultry products were immediately stopped.

However, the local poultry suppliers association complained that the lifting of the ban on frozen chicken does not benefit local chicken suppliers, but only benefits large retailers.  Despite their efforts to persuade the government to lift the ban, the importation of fertile eggs and chicks was still prohibited in the country.

On the other  hand, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food security and Nutrition Principal Secretary (PS) Moshe Mosaase, concurred that the ban had a devastating impact on the economy overall. Citing the bleeding Lesotho Revenue Services incurred due to losses in potential Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue, he said in an interview yesterday that, for instance, if a farmer imports around a million chickens or chicks the tax man earns about M150 000 in VAT, therefore such losses if properly quantified are very significant to the economy. He said some farmers in Lesotho can single handedly order up to 25 000 chicks to breed and sell, therefore a lot of revenue has been lost since the October ban.

He said Basotho are unable to produce their own chicken due to the expensive value chain that comes with it; from feeding to having an abattoir, the entire chain is expensive. In other words, Lesotho’s value chain in chicken production is yet to develop since the nation imports almost everything in the chain, from fertilized eggs or day-old chicks right up to chicken feed itself.

Thankfully, Mosaase revealed that the ministry has added a comprehensive Poultry Policy in the 2024/2025 budget, which includes incentives to assist farmers in attracting investors which in the long run would lead to Basotho being able to produce their own chicken and establish a sustainable value chain.

“Chicken is one of the proteins which cost less therefore without it, everything has been slow. The ministry has been working hard looking for a way forward to find solutions in the matter,” he said. Although the government has lifted the ban after three months evidence is pervasive that it brought untold disaster as the entire country went into the festive season without chicken, the most accessible relish of ready choice for many.

Despite the ban being lifted, several chicken farmers are expressing concern about the lack of capital to restart their businesses. This is due to the four-month pause they experienced, during which their operations came to a halt. One farmer said: “During those four months, our families relied on the money we had saved. However, we are relieved that we can now import chickens from South Africa.”

In 2021 reports estimated that Lesotho imported US$38.9 million (which is more than M730 million) in poultry meat, becoming the 93rd largest importer of poultry meat in the world. In the same year, poultry meat was the third most imported product in Lesotho.