No immediate threat to chicken meat supply in Lim
After several reports that Limpopo will soon run out of processed chicken meat, there is no immediate threat to consumers according to the South African Poultry Associaton Limpopo representative, Peter Phaahla.
POLOKWANE – According to Phaahla, the province has experienced a shortage of chicken meat for a while now.
“The majority of the chicken that is found in Limpopo is actually imported from Brazil due to the shortage of local meat and a lack in production.”
Reports recently surfaced after the Limpopo Poultry Farmers’ Association (LIPFA) accused the provincial government of failing to make the Lebowakgomo abattoir available for use by emerging local farmers.
The abattoir has the capacity to slaughter 20 000 chickens per shift and was funded by the government with R70-million.
However, after refurbishment in 2012, the facility is falling into disrepair due to a lack of use, leaving more than 500 local chicken farmers and workers stranded without means to process their livestock.
LIPFA Spokesperson, Lawrance Mabusela, said the closure of the abattoir left chicken farmers with no choice but to close their shops and members are now up in arms over the provincial government’s failure to appoint a strategic investor to operate the facility after several years of postponements and cancellations.
Mabusela added they sent several letters and even marched to Premier Stanley Mathabatha’s office to appeal for “mercy” to address the plight.
Spokesperson for the Premier, Kenny Mathivha, confirmed that LIPFA is currently working with the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (Leda) to try and make the abattoir operational but says that the shortage of chicken is not just a provincial problem, but a national one.
“The reality of going without chicken meat is a challenge faced countrywide, not just in Limpopo,” he told Review.
Mathiva went on further to say that the issue with the abattoir did not begin recently and has been a concern for quite some time.
“The issue of the abattoir and lack of use stems from the fact that after a tender application, it was given to local people to run but they failed to do it properly,” he explained.
Mathiva said Leda is currently working on reopening the abattoir soon, hopefully by the end of this year or early next year, to help local chicken farmers grow their businesses.
