HYBRID POULTRY FARM TO EMPOWER RURAL COMMUNITIES IN VILLAGE CHICKEN PROJECT

 

By Daily News Reporter

Hybrid Poultry Farm has launched the African Poultry Multiplication Initiative (APMI), in partnership with World Poultry Foundation. Hybrid is bringing improved village chicken known as Zambro to the Eastern Province through a pilot project in Rufunsa, Nyimba and Petauke.

The aim is to ensure that the rural communities are able to grow for profit by buying and rearing Zambro for meat and eggs, as well as selling them. Zambro offers high nutritional value in protein which will also enrich the lives of rural communities.

And this will also empower women in Zambia with a source of income and nutrition in this project and which is poised for growth and support the expansion of dual-purpose poultry in Zambia.

Hybrid Poultry Farm Zambia Chief Operation officer Arron Banda stated that this project will attain and provide technical poultry management to the people engaged in growing these in the rural areas,

Mr. Banda also highlighted that in the rural areas they is an increase of Village chicken keeping which need to be managed and supported.

And through this project more communities will provide an income and improve the nutrition status of these communities as they will have affordable source of protein derived from the low cost Zambro birds.

He further added that this project will give opportunities to the Small Scale Farmers to access chicks from brooder unites and give them profits, nutrition and income for their families.

And Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Hon Chikote Makozo stated that poultry plays a vital role in the live hood of the communities, and this project will strengthen the livestock subsector through sustainable interventions.

Hon Makozo further said that they is inadequate knowledge on poultry management and vaccination practices among farmers.

And the ministry will ensure that Hybrid poultry farm provides birds which will be pre-vaccinated at the hatchery and specifically bred to thrive in the rural areas environment by providing resilience productivity and sustainability to rural poultry farmers.

So Hybrid Poultry Farm has recruited 73 brooder units and supplied over 20,000 chicks in these three districts, it will also target 200 brooder units, 1000 Small Scale Producers and sale 1,000,000 chicks during the implementation the project.