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Uganda poultry industry suffers with Kenya ban
A ban on exports of poultry products to Kenya is
slowly hampering the Ugandan poultry market as exporters complain that Kenya
continues freely to export chicks to Uganda.
A ban on poultry exports to Kenya, which was put into place approx. 2 years
ago following an outbreak of bird flu, has not yet been lifted, yet Kenya
continues to export to Uganda without any restrictions.
"There is a trade imbalance. Kenya has denied us from exporting chicks to
their country yet they freely export their chicks into Uganda," said Aga
Ssekalala of Ugachick Poultry Breeders and chairman of the Poultry Association
of Uganda, adding that the situation is not healthy for the East African
Community Customs Union integration where "we are supposed to trade freely as
member states in the region".
In November 2007, last year, a delegation was sent to Uganda assess the
operations of the various poultry farms with the view of lifting the ban.
However, no report has been dispatched from Kenya nor has the ban been
lifted.
According to Marketing Manager of Ugachick Poultry Breeders, Ms Immaculate
Ngulumi, each week Kenyan farmers export 15-20,000 day-old chicks to Uganda to
Ugandan distributors but Uganda has not been given a chance to utilise the
opportunity when we given orders from Kenya.
It is reported that the Ugandan poultry industry directly supports 200,000
people and more than one million indirectly. It is likely that if the situation
persists many could lose jobs and revenue.
Editor WorldPoultry
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