Kenya’s poultry industry is facing potential losses of Ksh172 billion ($1.28 billion) annually if the ongoing Strategic Trade and Investments Partnership (STIP) negotiations allow the import of finished poultry products from the US, industry stakeholders have cautioned.
The Poultry Breeders Association of Kenya (PBAK), representing breeders, hatcheries, and meat processors, warned that this loss would stem from an estimated 75 percent drop in demand for locally produced poultry products.
According to PBAK, the entire value chain, including feed suppliers, breeders, processors, transport services, and agro vets, would suffer adverse effects.
“The entry of US traders into Kenya’s market will stifle the growth of Kenya’s fledgling poultry sector,” the lobby stated in a Monday announcement.
Kenyan producers expressed concern that they were informed about the US proposal to export finished poultry products to Kenya under STIP during a forum convened by the State Department of Trade.
PBAK criticized the lack of transparency and public participation on the Kenyan side, which they argue goes against the Constitution. Similar concerns were raised last year by the Kenya Small Scale Farmers Forum.
The technological disparities between poultry production in the US and Kenya are significant and varied, influenced by factors such as infrastructure, resource accessibility, and agricultural policies like genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which favor the US.
Farmers cautioned that if the plan goes ahead, it would lead to the collapse of the local poultry industry.
In a memorandum submitted to the Trade Principal Secretary, PBAK emphasized that this move would also jeopardize the livelihoods of nearly 400,000 households, impacting approximately 1.5 million individuals.
