Poultry producers in Egypt have started to move from chicken to turkey and egg production due to the high price of feed
Producers have also been affected by transportation restrictions that prevent them from shipping poultry from one governorate to another. According to reports, the transportation restrictions, which are meant to prevent the spread of avian flu, have led to a slaughterhouse shortage and patchy productivity across the country. As turkeys, which require less feed and are imported pre-vaccinated, and egg production are now more profitable than chicken according to farmers.
“Another problem is the severe shortage of slaughterhouses," said Ahmed Nassar, executive manager of the Chicken Stock Exchange in el-Qaliubia Governorate. "Meanwhile, chicken breeding is limited to the summer season, because bird flu is more dangerous in winter, while the prices of fodder and vaccines have skyrocketed."
The best solution, said Nassar, is to allow chickens to be transported among governorates under strict medical supervision. Currently, Egypt is producing 850mn chickens annually.
