Poultry News Africa
Image default
MarketsNewsPoultry

Cameroon’s Poultry Sector Aims for Transformation.

The 2024 Yaoundé International Poultry Exhibition (Savi) brought the spotlight back on a crucial question for Cameroon’s poultry industry: transformation. While the sector enjoys significant government support and boasts the second-highest meat production in the country, a shift from live bird sales to processed poultry products remains elusive.

This year’s SAVI theme, “Cameroonian Poultry: Towards Transformation,” reflects a persistent challenge identified even at the event’s inaugural edition in 2014. Back then, concerns were raised about the dominance of live bird sales, and the need for a move towards processing was emphasized. However, a decade later, the landscape hasn’t changed much. Artisanal processors and market pluckers continue to be the norm, while industrial slaughterhouses and facilities for producing sausages haven’t gained a significant foothold.

This change is stalling for a number of reasons. Funding is one of the main issues. Poultry farmers, or aviculturists, frequently lament their inability to invest in processing facilities due to a lack of funding. This will be a major topic of debate for the duration of the SAVI event.

Another hurdle is the economic viability of processing. A cautionary tale comes from the Cameroon Poultry Products Company (SPAC). In 2011, with government backing, SPAC built a state-of-the-art chicken slaughterhouse in Bafang for a staggering CFA5 billion (approximately $8.8 million USD). However, the company declared bankruptcy just months after launching operations. Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé, during a parliamentary session in November 2022, attributed this failure to high production costs. This experience highlights the economic reality: processed chicken is currently more expensive than live birds in Cameroon, making investment in slaughterhouses a risky proposition.

Even the country’s leading poultry producer, the Noutchoguoing Group, despite significant investments in production, hasn’t ventured into the processing sector. This hesitation from major players further reinforces the economic challenges associated with processing.

Despite the lack of transformation, Cameroon’s poultry industry itself is thriving. The sector enjoys consistent government support, and according to the National Institute of Statistics, poultry meat production saw an impressive 18% increase in 2021, reaching 52,600 tons. This makes poultry the country’s second-largest meat source, surpassing beef (which contributed 46% or 125,000 tons in 2021).

The 2024 SAVI poultry exhibition serves as a platform to re-evaluate the path forward for Cameroon’s poultry industry. While the sector boasts impressive production growth, the long-held goal of transformation remains unfulfilled. Discussions around funding, production costs, and economic viability are crucial to bridge this gap. Finding solutions to these challenges can unlock the full potential of Cameroon’s poultry industry, not only for producers but also for consumers who may benefit from a wider range of affordable processed poultry products.

Related posts

The Impact of Tanzania-Malawi Trade Tensions on Poultry Industry

Staff Reporter

Empowering Farmers: Unlocking Success through AGRICOLLEGES international’s Training Programmes

Staff Reporter

Poultry farming in Burundi is a path to food security and economic empowerment.

Staff Reporter

Leave a Comment