The Zimbabwe Free Range Poultry Association (ZFRPA) is driving a major initiative to increase indigenous chicken meat production in Zimbabwe, with a projected growth of 31 percent from 15 545 to 20 500 tonnes by 2030.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri said this at the association’s 10th anniversary in Harare recently.
He said the decade of dedication, resilience and growth was no small feat but was a powerful affirmation of the critical role that free-range poultry played within the national agricultural landscape, a role that is perfectly aligned with strategic vision for the future.
Poultry is the most widely consumed protein source in Zimbabwe, a cornerstone of household nutrition and a vital source of income, particularly for rural communities.
“Our strategy recognises that by strengthening the free-range, or indigenous, poultry sector, we are directly tackling food security and poverty at the household level.
“That vision is articulated in our new blueprint, the Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2 (AFSRTS 2) for 2026-2030, which will be launched imminently by His Excellency, the President Mnangagwa,” he said.
As part of its milestone celebration, ZFRPA pledged to continue to play a pivotal role in spearheading the Presidential Poultry Scheme under the Rural Development 8.0 initiative.
“This initiative will distribute free-range chickens to millions of rural households, as a testament to Government’s commitment to climate-proofing agriculture and boosting family nutrition and incomes.
“Under this scheme each household will receive 10 birds, supported by essential training to boost production and productivity,” he said.
Prof Jiri revealed that the vision was for every homestead to sustainably maintain a flock of up to 100 chickens, transforming them from subsistence to commercial enterprises.
“ZFRPA’s model is a living, breathing example of how this national vision can be realised on the ground.
“We are moving away from the “food basket” mentality and through the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) and ZimTrade, we are actively exploring and developing new markets, both domestic and international, for free-range poultry products.
“We encourage you to explore value addition – from processing to branding – to capture a greater share of the consumer dollar,” he said.
ZFRPA chief executive, Mrs Beauty Jiji said the association targeted to distribute 4.5 million chicks to over 450 000 households across the country for food and nutrition security. So far more than 2.5 million chicks have been distributed across the country.
Over the past 10 years ZFRPA has managed to prop up the free-range chicken brand into a household brand, which is now officially acknowledged and included in the national statistics, established a complete free range poultry value chain from farm to fork, grew free-range chicken population from 23 million in 2015 to 63 million in 2024 through advocacy and training.
“We have also secured contracts on behalf of our members to the tune of over US$30 million, organised group purchasing and importation of stock, feed and feed ingredients for farmers.
“In partnership with Government and the Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ), developed the ZWS1051/2022 Code of Practice for Good Agricultural Practise (GAP) for Free Range Poultry Production in Zimbabwe,” Mrs Jiji said.
-herald
