Tanzania, Netherlands launch joint poultry project

TANZANIA – Tanzania’s poultry sector is undergoing a major shift as the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, alongside the Netherlands Embassy in Dar es Salaam and industry partners, introduces a new poultry curriculum assessment project aimed at enhancing sector efficiency.

At the launch event held in Dar es Salaam, Dr. Stella Bitanyi, CEO of the Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency (TVLA), emphasized the project’s role in reshaping poultry farming across the country, focusing on increasing productivity and supporting farmers.

The poultry sector holds significant importance in Tanzania’s agricultural sector, with 96 percent of livestock farmers raising indigenous chickens in small-scale operations, but these farms, typically with fewer than 20 birds, account for less than 20 percent of the nation’s total poultry meat and egg production.

Despite the sector’s potential, it has faced slow growth, with production expanding at only 2.6 percent annually, and egg production remaining below 2.5 billion eggs per year, reflecting a modest per capita consumption rate of one egg per person each week.

While poultry consumption is largely confined to urban areas with middle- to high-income populations, the rising demand for poultry products signals a growing opportunity for the industry’s expansion.

The poultry curriculum assessment project aims to shift farming practices from informal and traditional methods to more structured and sustainable approaches, which will support youth employment and empower women, given poultry farming’s role in economic participation for these groups.

Representing the Netherlands Embassy, Economic Affairs Counsel John Mike Jagger expressed the embassy’s support for the project, highlighting its potential to accelerate growth within the poultry sub-sector.

Tanzania’s poultry industry, with approximately 72 million chickens (40 million indigenous and 32 million commercial), has shown steady growth, with a 6.18 percent annual increase from 2017 to 2023, and the country produced 95.5 million chicks in 2023/2024.

In 2023, Tanzania’s poultry meat production reached around 80,100 metric tons, with projections showing a slight increase to 80,120 metric tons by 2028. 

However, poultry meat consumption is expected to decline to 61,780 metric tons by 2026, down from 73,000 metric tons in 2021.

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