Supplying Sub-Saharan Africa’s localised chicken industries
Irvine’s Group continues to facilitate the growth of local chicken industries across several Sub-Saharan African countries thanks to its support of local growers through a one-stop shop supplier service
Poultry – an economical, healthy protein source and second only to pork in terms of consumption around the world.
A staple part of a huge variety of cuisine, from fast-food and roast dinners to curries and barbeques, chicken in particular is famed for its versatility and relative affordability versus other types of meat.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are enormous opportunities to improve nutrition levels in a big way by increasing per capita consumption, an observation made starkly clear when comparing available statistics from around the African continent.
Take Nigeria, for example. It is the most populated country in Africa yet consumes less than two kilos of chicken per capita every year. Compare this to continental counterparts such as Mali (23.9 kilos) and South Africa (38.7 kilos), and the growth potential is obvious.
Nigeria is typical of many countries in the Sub-Saharan region, and for companies such as Irvine’s Group, there is tremendous scope to further support local chicken industries and
thus boost nutrition levels for millions of citizens.
“Chicken consumption in SubSaharan Africa is still low, and if you move the needle slightly in countries such as Tanzania, you can very quickly double the size of the industry,” explains Patrick Murphy, the company’s Chief Sales Officer.
“Even if you upped per capita consumption from 1.5 kilos to three kilos, it would make a massive difference for both consumers and everyone involved in the poultry industry. As people become wealthier, they generally consume more protein in their diets, and chicken is a fantastic source of protein.”
Murphy, who is formally educated in the agricultural sphere, was inspired to join Irvine’s for a variety of reasons, not least because it is a family-led, growing business making a real difference to people’s lives in multiple countries.
“Relationships are very important, and this is what we pride ourselves on,” Murphy adds.
Indeed, the business has been forming relationships all over SubSaharan Africa ever since it was founded in 1950 in Zimbabwe.
Irvine’s has expanded under three generations well outside of its original homeland, with significant physical presence in the likes of Mozambique, Botswana and Tanzania, with networks of breeders, partners and customers across much of the wider SSA region.
This combines to create a formidable portfolio which includes chicks, nutritional and health solutions, poultry equipment, processed meat, table eggs and parent stock.