Musanze: Poultry farmers cry foul over high cost of feeds amid Covid-19 

Michel Nkurunziza.

Poultry farmers from Musanze District in the Northern Province have raised concerns over low revenues from eggs and meat due to expensive animal feeds.

These farmers expose the issue while other business operators are smiling after getting things to normal as the country moves to recover from the pandemic impacts.

All Farmers who spoke to The Inspirer echoed the same issue of high prices of poultry feeds.

Odette Uwamahoro is a poultry farmer from Muhoza Sector in Musanze District.

She is currently rearing 350 chickens of eggs but she said she is struggling to feed them due to high cost of feeds bought from the factories.

However, she said that despite the high cost of feeds   she got market demand for eggs from some hotels and restaurants leading to the recovery from Covid-19 pandemic few days ago.

She said she is afraid of the new covid-19 variant which is being reported in the country.

She said that she is not ready to continue rearing more chickens of meat due to lack of its market saying she has already sold 150 chickens of meat she was remaining with.

“Few days ago we could see some progress in our business because we have been working well with the hotels and restaurants buying our eggs and meat produce. This time we were recovering. The big problem we have is low prices of eggs yet chicken feeds are expensive,” Uwamahoro said.

She said that one egg was sold at Rwf75 and Rwf80 before Covid-19 while 50kgs of chicken feeds could cost Rwf18,000 or Rwf19,000, the price which rose to Rwf23,000 nowadays  and  the cost of egg that varies between Rwf80 and Rwf90.

“We request concerned authorities to regulate the cost of chicken feeds from the factories,” She added.

Photidas Irene Maniriho, another poultry farmer from Musezero Village, Kivumu cell, Kimonyi sector in Musanze District said that the produce he gets from his business is totally different from the investments he puts in chicken feeds.

“Chickens eat a lot of feeds, for example for the broilers, 1kg costs Rwf1800 and one chicken can consume up to Rwf5000 to reach the stage of being slaughtered,” He said, requesting the government to subsidize chicken feeds as they do for crop farmers. 

Patrick Habumugisha from Susa village, Ruhengeri cell, Muhoza Sector in Musanze District is also a poultry farmer since a couple of years.

He has appealed for government subsidies in chicken feeds and support in market access especially for meat. 

In the current promotion and support of crop farmers, the government puts 40 percent subsidies for fertilizers while the farmer pays 60 percent.

From this, Habumugisha requests the government to also help poultry farmers and help them to access the markets as they do for farmers of green beans, flours and coffee. 

“Another problem we have is the issue of middle men who buy and sell eggs. As we get the government’s intervention, we can gather into cooperatives and sell the produce at known places, which can also end middle men issue.” Habumugisha said. 

Officials’ response

Peter Bagirishya, the Executive Secretary of Musanze District has encouraged poultry farmers to be in cooperatives in order to ease advocacy process and kick out middle men.

Bagirishya says that the government subsidies that go to crop farmers are given according to the financial capacity of farmers where they prioritize that in poverty or with low capacity to cater for the agro-inputs. 

“We know every sector looks at its own, but as the government we are their watch dog, we have supported some cooperatives of poultry farmers where we gave them chickens and free veterinary doctors to treat chickens. We supported them until they get Rwf52million on their accounts,” He says.

Bagirishya says that they punish middlemen when they are caught.

For the issue of price regulation of eggs and meat, he says that the district will discuss with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) to find a clear solution in supporting poultry farming sector.

RAB speaks out

The government is set to launch a new financing scheme to lower interest rates for pig and poultry farmers as well as animal feed producers in need of bank loans.

The new scheme has been designed to reduce interest rates on loans given to pig and poultry farmers as well as others in the value chain to as low as 8 per cent, according to a government official.

Solange Uwituze, Deputy Director General in charge of Animal Resources Research and Technology Transfer at Rwanda Agricultural and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) said  that the government could pay for beneficiaries up to interest rates totaling up to Rwf100 million.

At least Rwf2 billion, she said, will be channeled through the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) which will work with commercial banks to lend it out to beneficiaries.

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