Exciting projects in Central and East Africa

Situated in the heart of Africa, Chad is a landlocked country with a rich cultural heritage and a diverse population. Despite facing numerous challenges, including political instability and economic hardships including civil wars and insurgencies, Chad continues to strive for progress and development with efforts to promote reconciliation and national unity.

Chad’s population has experienced significant growth over the past few decades, with estimates indicating a population of over 16 million people. Despite this growth, Chad remains one of the least densely populated countries in Africa, with vast stretches of uninhabited land. The population is predominantly young, with a large percentage under the age of 25, presenting both opportunities and challenges for the country’s future development.
The poultry industry plays a vital role in Chad’s economy and food security. Poultry farming is widespread across the country, providing a source of income for rural communities and supplying affordable protein to consumers.

Chicken meat and eggs is a staple food in Chad, consumed in various forms ranging from grilled skewers to traditional dishes.

Florian Allegre from Hubbard and Viola Holik from LOHMANN shared a booth at the Poultry Expo 2024, the first international poultry exhibition in Chad.

The Poultry Expo 2024 presented a unique opportunity for stakeholders in the poultry industry to showcase innovations, exchange knowledge, and forge partnerships. The expo brought together poultry farmers, suppliers, government officials, and industry experts to discuss challenges and explore opportunities for growth.

Topics such as sustainable farming practices, disease prevention, and market access were on the agenda, reflecting the sector’s commitment to sustainability and resilience.

Despite its potential, the poultry industry in Chad faces various challenges, including limited access to quality inputs, inadequate infrastructure, and disease outbreaks.

However, initiatives such as importation of hybrid layer and broilers, enhanced veterinary services, and investment in cold chain logistics are helping to address these challenges and drive growth in the sector.

The team had the chance to visit the farm Abu Simbel near the capital N’Djamena were the young owners started the business with a flock of LOHMANN layers in an environmental controlled house. The installation is simple but very effective, temperatures inside were only 24°C compared to outside 32°C and reaching a production peak of 93%.
The growing demand for poultry products, coupled with rising urbanization and changing consumer preferences, presents opportunities for expansion and innovation in the market and the future of this project is bright.

Investments in modern farming techniques, value-added processing, and marketing strategies can further strengthen the competitiveness of Chad’s poultry industry, creating employment opportunities and contributing to economic development.

After taking part in this exciting event the journey continued to Tanzania.

Nestled along the shores of Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania, Kigoma is a region blessed with natural beauty, cultural richness, and economic potential. While primarily known for its tourism and agricultural activities, Kigoma is emerging as a significant player in the layer market, with a growing focus on exporting eggs to neighbouring countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Kigoma’s layer market has experienced steady growth in recent years, driven by factors such as favorable climatic conditions, availability of land, and increasing demand for poultry products. Small-scale poultry farming is prevalent in the region, with farmers rearing layers for both domestic consumption and commercial purposes. The abundance of feed resources, including maize and soybeans, further supports the growth of the layer market in Kigoma.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) presents a lucrative market for egg producers in Kigoma, thanks to its large population, urbanization trends, and growing demand for protein-rich foods.

Despite being a major agricultural producer, the DRC faces challenges in meeting its domestic demand for poultry products, creating opportunities for imports from neighboring countries like Tanzania.

It all began with a meeting on the LOHMANN booth on the Tanzanian Poultry Expo in 2022 LOHMANN were Mr. Haji Kani together with Viola Holik from LOHMANN and Roland Denz from Big Dutchman started a journey to build a modern layer poultry farm in Kigoma aiming to supply the local Kigoma market as well as DRC with fresh, affordable table eggs.
Mr. Haji originally planned to start a farm near Dar es Salaam but could be convinced to change to Kigoma, which was visited by Viola Holik in the same year on route from Burundi to Dar es Salaam. Already on this short stopover she was struck by the opportunities the near borders to Burundi and DRC as well as the lake as source of water would offer.

The construction of the first buildings started end 2022 and in March 2024 the first LOHMANN flock of 33.000 chicks imported from our partner Quantum Foods in Uganda reached the new farm on which the rearing house had been completed.

The chicks were transported by truck to the border of Uganda and Tanzania and then transferred into a passenger bus, arriving 24 hours after the hatch in excellent condition with only 15 mortalities.
Housed with the help of the neighboring village youth within a very short time the chicks then started their new lives in a fully automized, environmental controlled Big Dutchman rearing house.

Phase II of the project, the construction of 3 production houses will be completed within the next 12 months and Phase III, the building of a parent stock farm and hatchery will start afterwards to ensure a sustainable supply of chicks for their own farms as well as supplying the local and Democratic Republic of Congo market.