Kilimokwanza.org
At first glance, Tanzania’s poultry trade balance appears contradictory. On one hand, the country is rapidly emerging as a regional powerhouse in poultry genetics, exporting hundreds of thousands of high-quality day-old chicks to its neighbors. On the other, it remains deeply reliant on imports—from frozen chicken entering through Zanzibar to the soybeans needed to feed its own flocks.
This duality—exporting the “seed” (chicks) while struggling to affordably produce the “fruit” (meat)—creates a striking economic paradox. Why does Tanzania lead in poultry genetics yet lag in affordable meat production? The answer lies in the structure of its agricultural and trade systems.
1. Export Success: A Hub for Poultry Genetics
In the upstream segment of the poultry value chain, Tanzania has achieved a level of sophistication unmatched by most of its regional peers. Thanks to significant investments in breeding infrastructure, the country has become a net exporter of day-old chicks (DOCs)—particularly parent-stock birds critical to breeding programs across East Africa.
The Numbers:
In the 2023/2024 fiscal year, Tanzania produced over 95.5 million chicks—a 13.9% increase from the previous year. Of these, more than 468,000 were parent-stock chicks exported to Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia.
The Driver:
This success is anchored by major breeder operations such as Aviagen East Africa in Kilimanjaro and Silverlands in Iringa. By hosting grandparent stock farms locally, Tanzania can produce parent stock more quickly and cost-effectively than neighbors who must import from Europe or South Africa. As a result, the country has earned the moniker “the nursery of East Africa.”
2. Import Reality: The High Cost of Meat
Despite its prowess in chick production, Tanzania struggles to raise birds to market weight at competitive prices. Global powerhouses like Brazil and the United States benefit from economies of scale and cheap feed—advantages Tanzania has yet to replicate. Consequently, the nation leans heavily on imports to meet growing domestic demand for affordable protein.
The Zanzibar Gateway:
Zanzibar, with its distinct trade policies and limited arable land, imports vast quantities of frozen chicken—primarily from Brazil, the U.S., and Turkey. In early 2025, Zanzibar tripled its excise duty on frozen poultry from $0.12 to $0.39 per kilogram. While intended to curb dependency and boost revenue, the move sent shockwaves through the archipelago’s tourism and retail sectors, where chicken is a dietary staple.
The Mainland “Backdoor”:
Although mainland Tanzania officially restricts poultry meat imports to protect local producers, steep price disparities create strong incentives for informal trade. Frozen chicken legally imported into Zanzibar frequently “leaks” into markets in Dar es Salaam and along the coast via unofficial channels—undercutting local farmers who cannot match the low cost of Brazilian imports.
The 2025 Brazilian Deal:
In a notable policy shift during late 2024 and early 2025, Tanzania began formalizing these flows by officially opening its market to Brazilian poultry products. This concession underscores a hard truth: without external supply, local production alone cannot meet the protein needs of Tanzania’s 70 million people at an affordable price.
3. The Root Cause: The Feed Trap
At the heart of the paradox lies Tanzania’s feed sector. You cannot produce cheap chicken without cheap feed—and here, the country faces a chronic protein deficit.
The Soy Deficit:
Soybean meal is the primary protein ingredient in poultry feed. Tanzania’s annual demand exceeds 150,000 metric tons, yet domestic production typically falls below 10,000 tons. This gap forces feed millers to import soy from Zambia, India, and Malawi—exposing the entire sector to foreign exchange fluctuations and global commodity price spikes.
The “Hidden” Imports:
Even when a chicken is labeled “Made in Tanzania,” its nutritional inputs are often imported. Vitamins, premixes, and soybean meal cross borders before the bird ever reaches a local farm. Thus, Tanzania exports high-value genetics while importing raw inflation—squeezing the margins of the very farmers meant to drive local food security.
Conclusion: A Sector in Transition
Tanzania’s poultry paradox reflects a sector caught between biological mastery and economic constraint. The country has excelled at the science of breeding—but not yet at the economics of feeding. Until it closes its “protein gap” through expanded domestic soy production and local feed processing, Tanzania will remain in a dual state: a regional leader in chick exports, yet a global customer for the meat and inputs those chicks require.
Resolving this contradiction is not just an agricultural challenge—it is a strategic imperative for food sovereignty, rural livelihoods, and inclusive economic growth.