Namibian poultry producers are confident that the recent government decision to lift the ban on poultry meat imports from South Africa will not negatively impact their business, including their export plans.
The Poultry Producers’ Association (PPA) said the export plans of chicken meat and eggs to South Africa and Europe by its members were still being pursued.
“As far as I know it will not affect the plan of exporting our poultry products as Namibia is planning to build the same route as Brazil and all those countries, we are going to sell the chicken breasts and make good profit to European and American countries where the rest of the product could become a good and cheap product for our market,” PPA Chairman Rene Werner told The Brief.
He said the producer body was still awaiting the issuance of permits for commercial poultry exports to ensure compliance with all relevant regulations.
“We are unsure as far as I know the authorities are trying their best to speed it up but due to the fact that Namibia never had any documentation of birds moving within the country as there have never been standards or any control over the poultry business. It might take another year or it can take another three months, it can take another year depending on the communication between the importers and exporting countries,” PPA Chairman said.
He said the lifting of the import ban could be short lived considering that the disease prevalence was high in the neighbouring country during winter.
“The ban on chicken meat from South Africa that has been lifted will just return back to the way it was because winter is approaching and the diseases will start spreading again in South Africa, hopefully not, but that’s the way it has been in the last five years, so yeah, we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Werner said.
The export plans come in response to local farmers seeking to expand their markets beyond the domestic market and capitalise on better prices.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform has confirmed facilitating the registration of poultry establishments and developing protocols to meet international trade requirements.
The Association has already received approval from the Meat Board for poultry exports, requiring all participating farmers to register and pay a levy on their products.
Last week the Directorate of Veterinary Services under the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform lifted its ban on poultry meat imports from South Africa.
According to Chief Veterinary Officer Albertina Shilongo, only poultry meat originating from bio-secure poultry farms, as listed by the Veterinary Authority of South Africa, will be permitted to be imported into Namibia.
This comes as Namibia, in September last year, suspended the importation and transit of live poultry and their products from South Africa following the outbreak and alarming spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the neighbouring country.
Namibia is reported to consume an estimated 2,500 tonnes of chicken every month, relying mainly on imports from South Africa.
