The poultry sector is in crisis, and load shedding is to blame

The poultry sector finds itself in a crisis and the culprit is load shedding.

Lester Kiewit interviews Thabile Nkunjana, Agricultural Economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council.

RELATED: Expect further hikes in price of chicken if load shedding doesn't ease

About 10 million chickens have just been pulled from production, according to the South African Poultry Association.

The culling of millions of chickens, because of load shedding, is hitting farmers hard, robbing them of profits.

Nkunjana on the effects that load shedding is having on the industry:

• The poultry sector requires a consistent supply of power – power is needed to heat and cool certain facilities, feed the animals, and for egg production

• The industry is still recovering from Avian influenza, which reduced supplies. Load shedding just adds to the reduction

• The industry contributes a large amount to the country's economy, and also provides many jobs – with a shortage of stock, many workers are losing their jobs

• Recently, KFC had to temporarily close some of its outlets as a lack of power affected their supply

• Investments have been made under the assumption that things would function the way that it is intended

• This crisis affects food security – chicken is the most affordable source of protein for many South Africans

RELATED: KFC to temporarily close some stores due to power cuts

It [poultry sector] is one of the biggest within the livestock industry and it has a relatively large amount of people that depend on it.

Thabile Nkunjana, Agricultural Economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council

The electricity issue is accelerating all those challenges and is adding to a situation that is already not good.

Thabile Nkunjana, Agricultural Economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council

It looks like now there's just a storm after a storm, which is presenting a serious threat to the entire country's security of food.

Thabile Nkunjana, Agricultural Economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council

Scroll up to listen to the interview.

This article first appeared on CapeTalk : The poultry sector is in crisis, and load shedding is to blame

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