Kenya has signed a memorandum with the World Bank to expand poultry farming in the country. In the program, producers will reach 240,000 birds raised in the following six months, compared with 78,000 units reported previously. Domestic demand is about 300,000 chickens per month but Kenyan producers can cover only 60% in poultry meat and 50% in eggs, the rest being imported. The cost of feed is the main challenge for poultry producers in Kenya but the newly indigenous breed of laying hens may increase productivity. According to the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization, the new breed may lay around 250 eggs per year, compared with 100 eggs collected currently. The expansion of the poultry farming sector is expected to increase the self-sufficiency rate in both chicken meat and eggs by 20% and 30%, respectively. Currently, the main suppliers of poultry products in the Kenyan market are neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
