The national production of chicken meat reached 135 thousand tons last year, driven by the increase in the number of poultry farmers, expansion of poultry farms, the fight against smuggling and the growing availability of corn and soybeans.

The figure represents a positive variation of 13% compared to 2020, when 120,000 tons were placed on the domestic market, helping to reduce dependence on imports.

The National Director for Livestock Development (DNDP), Américo Conceição, recently explained that the Government and the private sector have been investing in controlling chicken smuggling and increasing production capacity.

"Last year we recorded an increase in chicken production, with about 135,000 tons, and we are the second largest producer in the region, behind South Africa, with about 1.3 million tons," Conceição said.

The investments made in the sector led, according to da Conceição, to the reduction of meat imports to about two percent. The purchases were focused, above all, to meet the season of higher demand for meat.

"We had imports of about two thousand tons, to stabilize the market price of frozen chicken at the end of the year. We will continue to import chicken just for this purpose at critical times," he added.

He stressed that the country consumes about 137,000 tons of chicken meat annually, 98% of which is provided by local production, made available by both private investors and family poultry farmers.

The statistics of the livestock sector indicate that the province of Maputo leads the production with 90.6 thousand tons, followed by Nampula and Manica, with 15.8 and 11.6 thousand tons, respectively.

In turn, Zambezia, Niassa, Cabo Delgado, and Sofala have the lowest numbers with 695, 785, 852, and 906, respectively.

Another area that grew significantly is egg production, which rose by more than 18 percent, with 24.7 million dozens having been placed on the domestic market, with Manica and Maputo provinces recording the highest levels of productivity.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADER) indicates that the rise in productivity was driven by policies to control smuggling, with a greater impact on encouraging investment by private sector players.