THE Pig Industry Board (PIB) has revealed that Zimbabwe’s pork industry is struggling to compete on the regional and international markets due to high production costs.
Zimbabwe’s pig industry plays a crucial role in the country’s agricultural sector, supplying pork to butcheries, supermarkets and individual consumers.
However, the sector faces major challenges, including high costs of feed, low local grain production and competition from imported pork products.
Despite Zimbabwe having the potential to export pork, local producers are being priced out of the market due to these inefficiencies.
“Our cost model is a little too high. So as a country, our products cannot compete. We are actually importing,” PIB chief executive officer Sharai Ncube told NewsDay Farming.
“The biggest issue is that our cost of production is higher than in the region and other international markets.
“The pig is like a big broiler and since we use a similar production model, we face the same challenges.”
The major cost driver in pig production is feed, which accounts for nearly 80% of total expenses.
Zimbabwe’s dependence on imported feed ingredients, mainly maize and soybeans, has made local production costly.
“When you are not producing enough maize and soybeans as a country, then you cannot compete out there,” Ncube said.
She added that Zimbabwe’s low grain productivity was a major setback.
“Our productivity per hectare is too low, and that affects everything,” Ncube said.
“If we can produce our grain more efficiently and competitively, then we can compete internationally.”
While Zimbabwe has the potential to export pork, there are currently no concrete plans to do so.
“The first step would be to ensure grain availability in the country,” Ncube said.
She added that Zimbabwe’s challenging food security situation played a role in limiting livestock production, as available grain was often prioritised for human consumption.
“These animals compete with people for food,” Ncube added.
Zimbabwe is currently importing between 500 and 600 metric tonnes of pork products per month, according to PIB.
“We also need to look at reducing imports so that we give local farmers an opportunity to market their products and grow,” Ncube said.
Despite the challenges, opportunities still exist for Zimbabwe to position itself as a pork exporter, especially taking advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
However, industry experts revealed the key to unlocking that potential lies in making feed ingredients affordable.
“As a nation, we need to invest in maize and soybean production, which means we also need to invest in irrigation infrastructure,” Ncube said.
The PIB boss said improving Zimbabwe’s agricultural efficiency could be through adopting better seed varieties and increasing yields per hectare.
“If you look at what our communal farmers are producing, you will be surprised that maybe half the country is producing less than seven tonnes per hectare. That’s not going to take us anywhere,” Ncube said.
“The way forward is to increase efficiency in grain production and, at the same time, reduce pork imports. That will help strengthen local production before we can talk about exports.”