Gov't explores egg powder production to tackle glut

The government is exploring plans to process excess eggs into powder and other alternative products as part of efforts to address recurring gluts in the poultry sector and reduce losses suffered by farmers. This move forms part of a broader strategy under the proposed national poultry master plan aimed at stabilising prices, extending shelf life, minimising post-production losses and creating new market opportunities within the poultry value chain. Kwesi Etu-Bonde, Chief Technical Advisor to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, said government is prioritising value addition and improved storage capacity to better manage excess egg production.

Mr. Etu-Bonde said, "Eggs can be processed into powder, and that is part of the value addition we want the poultry master plan to address." Industry players have for years expressed concern over periodic egg oversupply, which often forces poultry farmers to sell at heavily reduced prices, leading to significant financial losses. Mr. Etu-Bonde explained that recent government support for the production of maize and soya had contributed to lower feed prices, encouraging more people to enter poultry production.

Mr. Etu-Bonde stated that last year, the ministry supported the production of grains such as maize and soya, and that has brought feed prices down, incentivizing more people to go into poultry production. The government is also using the School Feeding Programme as part of efforts to absorb some of the excess supply on the market. The President has instructed that the School Feeding Programme should purchase eggs from the market as part of the effort to support poultry farmers. The proposed poultry master plan will outline long-term measures to strengthen the poultry value chain, improve processing capacity and reduce the impact of recurring production gluts across the country.