ZIMBABWE – Zimbabwe Free Range Poultry Association (ZFRPA) in partnership with the Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) and Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development (MLAFWRD) have developed national standards for free range poultry production marketing to improve industry efficiency.
According to ZFRPA secretary general Mrs Beauty Jiji, the ZWS 1051:2022 Code of Practice for Good Agricultural Practice for free-range poultry production will be launched on June 27.
“The standard focuses on all the four free-range poultry groups turkey and takes into consideration the health consciousness and animal welfare concerns which are now seriously being upheld by consumers world over,” she said.
Jiji also noted that the standard would give scope for commercial production and marketing of free-range poultry and its products as It targets domestic and export markets.
“This is the first key standard to guide farmers and value chain actors in the sustainable production and marketing of free-range poultry in Zimbabwe,” she added.
She highlighted that implementation of this standard will go a long way in ensuring credible and sustainable growth of the free-range poultry sector and promoting sustainable intensive production under the Presidential Poultry Scheme (PPS).
Zimbabwe introduced the Presidential Poultry Scheme as one of the eight facets under the Rural Development 8.0 model.
According to the government, the scheme targets to boost nutrition and incomes for at least three million rural households drawn from Zimbabwe’s rural communities.
The Presidential Poultry Scheme launched on August 25 last year in Masvingo has since spread its wings to all the country’s 10 provinces in line with the Government mantra of “Leaving No One and No Place Behind.”
Mrs Beauty also said that the scheme will see rural communities become hubs for organically-produced live chicken, eggs and chicken meat in the next two to three years, with the country set to earn foreign currency from export
She noted that the ZFRPA has to date distributed 789 549 birds at different ages, 33 891 Stress Mix packs and 36 716 packets of 10-kilogramme bags of feed countrywide.
“So far about 78 955 households have directly benefitted from the programme with over 2 000 people being employed by the producers’ members,” she added.
She appreciated the launch of the standards highlighting that it will be a plus for the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) which has since established domestic markets for the large volumes of organically produced live chicken, eggs and chicken meat.
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This is a noble initiative which must be taken to every part of the country. May the standards be widely available to all through all possible free platforms like internet.