The revised poultry master plan, signed recently, is big on chicken exports. So far this year, the results have been small.
The master plan punts chicken exports as the basis of the next phase of poultry industry growth. The aim is to double exports in five years, and treble them in 10.
Those were the same growth targets set in the 2019 inaugural master plan. Instead, chicken exports dropped from 50 000 tonnes in 2020 to 41 600 tonnes in 2025.
For the revised master plan, the 2026 start has not been good. In each of the first four months of this year, chicken export volumes were lower than in 2025. The total for those four months was 12 500 tonnes, 15% below the same period last year.
Clearly, there’s work to do.
