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Business Reporter.
Poultry producer Irvine’s Day Old Chicks has embarked on a programme to empower small-scale farmers to produce poultry towards the improvement of nutrition and income for rural families. Irvine’s Zimbabwe is geared to meet the growing demand for poultry products and it is producing an average of 600 000 chicks per week and through this empowerment programme it provides day-old chicks to small-scale producers.

In an interview, Irvine’s chief executive Mr David Irvine said the chicken production project in the rural areas was part of the firm’s indigenisation plan.

“Most small-scale producers in the rural areas are failing to raise the capital needed to purchase day-old chicks. So we decided to provide them with the chicks for them to produce on our behalf.

“Unemployment has been rampant in the country and through provision of such schemes there will be unemployment and reduction and promotion of self- sustainability. It is part of our indigenisation plan,” he said.

Irvine’s Zimbabwe is building model houses in all the provinces around the country to empower the people.
Mr Irvine said Irvine’s had acquired sophisticated machinery reduce mortality among day-old chicks.

“We have acquired a sophisticated machine that has the capacity of vaccinating chicks while still in the egg, and this has an impact in reducing day-old chicks’ mortality especially in the rural areas.”

The poultry producer is targeting development of small- to medium-scale farmers particularly in rural areas and training programmes have been put in place free of charge to equip farmers with knowledge on how to raise chickens.

“Training personnel has already been put in place to go on an outreach to educate people on how to produce chickens as well as giving them the right knowledge of vaccinating the chicks.”

The Irvine’s Zimbabwe contract grower scheme has nurtured a number of medium- and large-scale farmers into the poultry rearing business.

The recruitment of contract growers has aided in meeting consumer demand of chicken and also contributed to economic growth and employment creation.

Founded by the late William Irvine, Irvine’s is currently the biggest poultry producer in the country and supplies chickens to more than 16 countries across Africa.