On June 9, 2020, BENEFIT-ENTAG published a brief that outlines the major effects of COVID-19 on the performance of the Ethiopian poultry sector and specific recommendations the government and other development partners should consider to minimize the already observed negative impact. The brief was based on a quick assessment conducted through a survey distributed to (15) medium to high Poultry farms representing commercial farms and selective telephone interviews.
Prior to COVID-19, commercial poultry farms have been expanding, increasing the production rate of commercial poultry farms to meet the increasing demand in the country. Now, the pandemic is negatively impacting the sector and poultry production and consumption rates are declining greatly. The shortage of day old chicks that sustain the production cycle and the escalating price of chicken products is a clear indication that we are approaching the days where scarcity of chicken products is unavoidable. As chicken has a huge role in producers economy and income and household nutrition and food security, it is imperative for all actors to support continuity of activities of the sector to meet the growing demand.
Major challenges highlighted included (i) reduced access to inputs; (ii) reduced access to market; (iii) impact on employment; (iv) lack of storage facilities and wastage of products; and (v) increasing feed price and unregulated market.
Recommendations focused on
- Organize grouped slaughtering points and support the installation of a cold chain;
- Support a well-functioning market linkage;
- Mitigate short-term COVID-19 impacts via dedicated financial facilities;
- Improve access to foreign currency to expedite import of essential inputs; and
- Promote consumption through national campaigns, ensuring emergency measures do not affect the supply chain and addressing logistics issues
| No | Production | Production rate after COVID-19 | Total Loss in ETB | Remarks |
| 1 | Feed | Reduced by 92% | 135,281,789 | |
| 2 | Day old chicks | Reduced by 68% | 74,120,800 | 3,500 parent stocks have been lost due to slaughtering |
| 3 | Pullets | No production | 3,531,699 | |
| 4 | Broilers | Reduced by 87% | 13,551,500 | 3,000kg has been disposed due to spoilage and 50,000 birds have died due to prolonged stay in production |
| Employee status before and after COVID-19 | |
| Employees before the pandemic | Employees laid off after the pandemic |
| Permanent emplyees – 1728 (Male 1072, Female 656) | Permanent emplyees – 31 (Male 20, Female 11) |
| Temporory employees – 214 (Male 14, Female 73) | Temporory employees – 19 (Male 9, Female 10) |
RAISE-FS 