Livestock minister calls for a modernised poultry sector

Cameroon’s Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, MINEPIA, Dr. Taïga, has stated that competitiveness, quality and diversity in products are key elements that need to be seriously considered in the modernisation trend of the poultry sector in the country.

Dr. Taïga made the statement in Yaounde, October 23, during the official ceremony to inaugurate the first ever international poultry exhibition. The event, which took place under the theme: “Poultry: Leverage for Growth and Vector of Cameroon Emergence in 2035,” ended on October 25.

According to the Minister, “the poultry sector can only modernise if we take decisions that matter. Competitiveness which will help the sector resist rivalry requires a better organisation of the sector and it concerns everybody. The only thing that will enable us to succeed is teamwork.”

“The second tool for success is quality. The future of Cameroon’s poultry lies in quality and diversification of its products. It necessitates permanent imagination, innovation, improvement of infrastructure and the scrupulous respect of production norms. Going by efforts already made by the private sector, we are capable of attaining the set objectives which are indispensable for competition,” Dr. Taïga declared.

Noting that the Yaounde International Poultry Exhibition served as an avenue for stakeholders in the sector to share knowledge and experiences, the Minister recalled that in the wake of the 2006 bird flu crisis, Government decided to put in place a battery of measures to accompany operators in the sector.

He mentioned the ban on importation of frozen chicken, restructuring of local producers and building of their capacities, multifaceted support by way of inputs, joint research initiatives, among other, as some of the measures that are yielding fruits today.

“The Cameroon Poultry Inter-Professional Association, IPAVIC, today counts some 9000 exploiters with close to 320, 000 jobs. In 2013, the production of its members was estimated at over 46.5 million table birds. It represented about 70,000 tons of chicken meat with the production of some 120, 000 tons of eggs.

“If these figures show improved performance, it doesn’t mean it has met the growing demand for animal proteins...It is for this reason that together with the private sector, we decided to create an avenue for meeting and exchange in order to facilitate increase in productivity, transformation and commercialisation of poultry products,” the Minister stated.

Dr. Taïga equally recalled the mission of MINEPIA which is that of assuring the promotion of livestock and the putting in place of Government policy in the sector, maintaining that the international poultry exhibition ties with such mission as the Cameroonian market would be open to new technologies developed in the modern poultry sector.

He said the Yaounde event permitted Cameroonian operators not only to show their know-how but to also engage fruitful contacts with partners out of the country. “The occasion is also an opportunity for Cameroon to benefit from important scientific communication relating to the development of poultry by university dons and other experts.

“Our country will not only benefit from trade openings, but would also affirm its sub-regional leadership in poultry, implant its trade mark....”

The President of IPAVIC, François Djonou, in a speech, acknowledged Government support to the sector through the ban on the importation of frozen chicken, tracking down of fraudulent importation of other inputs and the validation of a plan to re-launch the sector. He said the results of direct subventions to the operators are very visible on the field today as the issue of scarcity of chicken in the market is a thing of the past.

Djonou outlined a number of ongoing projects and activities aimed at boosting the national poultry sector. He said chicken has entered the daily food chain of Cameroonians coupled with the increasing demand. According to him, the price of chicken which is about FCFA 2,000 is still the least compared to other types of meat in the market.