15 June 2023
by Carien Kruger
As part of the execution of its master plan, the egg industry wants to encourage South Africans to each eat five dozen more eggs per year.
South Africans currently eat 159 eggs per person per year and the aim is for this number to rise to 220 eggs per person per year within the next two to seven years, says Dr Abongile Balarne, General Manager of the South African Poultry Association’s (SAPA’s) Egg Organisation.
Eventually, the organisation wants every person to eat one egg per day, he said at the AVI Africa conference at Kempton Park on Tuesday.
One of the ways in which the organisation wants to grow egg consumption, and simultaneously contribute towards ensuring that young children’s growth is not hindered by poor nutrition, is to work together with education and social authorities to ensure that each child receives at least one egg per week through feeding schemes at schools.
Larger consumption of eggs brings opportunities for transformation. “If we can increase consumption, it will create new production opportunities for black farmers.”
The industry has applied to the state for its statutory levy to be continued and from the money collected in this manner, 20% will be spent on consumer education and awareness.
Dr Balarane says further opportunities can be created for emerging farmers if the government can step in when white commercial farmers want to sell their farms and then buy these farms for beneficiaries. He says there are quite a lot of these farmers who want to sell and that these are large farms with technology.
The Egg Organisation is also planning egg depots and packaging points at shopping centres, especially in townships and rural areas, with the first of these being on the West Rand in Gauteng. Producers will thus be helped to reach markets. Both black and white commercial farmers will be involved. “Our strategy is that everyone should benefit.”
According to Dr Balarane, it is also important for the industry to export in order to balance the market. The aim is to export at least 10% of production.
Regarding bird flu, he said the fastest way to combat it in the egg industry is through vaccination. The industry has already decided in principle to support vaccination.
