Poultry value chain investments create massive jobs

By investing in at least two aspects of the poultry value chain, African farmers are creating massive jobs. These poultry farms have multiple sections such as egg production, broiler production, breeder farm, feed milling, animal drug sales and so on, and are usually highly profitable.

One notable feature investing along the poultry value chain in Africa is that large number of the employees are highly skilled professionals, graduates of higher institutions of learning instead of mainly employees with low level of formal education that farms, which focus only on primary production solely, are able to employ.

One of such farms is Bradegate Poultry Industries in Kenya that has created 140 jobs in three years by establishing a supermarket dedicated simply to the sale of inputs and equipment for poultry farming, a poultry breeding farm, egg hatchery plant, broiler chicken processing plant, a college of poultry science and commercial feed mill.

Another of such farms is Animal Care in Nigeria, also with over 100 employees focusing on layer production, egg production, commercial feed-milling, animal drugs production and training. Also, Chi Farms in Nigeria has created massive jobs through its hatchery, poultry production, processing, marketing and sales of drugs and vaccines.

Another notable feature of these farms is that apart from large staff strength, they have schemes to empower farmers without capital by providing training and inputs on credit to be repaid as they produce.

OLUYINKA ALAWODE