There’s a way to salvage our own poultry industry

MY SINCERE thanks to Paul Dillon for his extremely lucid article on “Importing Poverty” in Business Report of March 20.

There have been far too many voices justifying the demise of our once strong poultry industry and it is about time that the South African government stopped destroying our local manufacturers through ignorance, jealousy and total incomprehension of the possibility of the end result of their actions.

It is equally self defeating for the government to believe it will be able to buy the redundant farms and do a better job, it can only lead to a greater fiasco.

However, I hope Dillon’s article is seen by voters, farmers, NGOs and all relevant parties who can make a difference to the way things are happening by insisting on reversals of policies that have and are proving to be detrimental to our people.

Cheaper chicken, essentially, is self defeating if it is destroying our manufacturing base – and it definitely is.

Probably a better option by the government would be to assist producers, as happens in Europe and the US to be competitive worldwide.

What better time to take advantage of our poor rand value to export chicken, in whatever way to Europe/US – or whoever, for that matter, wants it – and utilise whatever is left for our populations’ enjoyment.

The only difference would be that we produce it. CHRIS KNAGGS, NORTH BEACH