An example of the impact of poultry imports on the South African grain and feed industry is contained in the latest issue of the Poultry Bulletin, published by the SA Poultry Association (SAPA).
De Wet Boshoff, CEO of the Animal Feed Manufacturers Association (AFMA) says 65% of the feed its members produce is consumed by the chicken industry.
“According to our calculations, imports currently replace the equivalent of 800 000 tons of maize and 500 000 tons of soya beans, translating into about 1.3 million tons of animal feed,” he says.
“If we could produce this feed in South Africa, we would employ 1 800 to 2 000 more people in 12 or 13 additional medium-sized feed factories.
“We know that some level of imports will always occur, but believe that at least 40-50% can be prioritised to be replaced by domestic production, to the benefit of all stakeholders,” he says.
Those new jobs would be in the feed industry alone. Hundreds more would result from the expanded production in the maize and soya industries.
As FairPlay has said for the past five years – Chicken imports kill SA jobs.
