The Agriculture Ministry has approved the weekly importation of 330,000 pounds of chicken in an effort to stabilise the domestic market and relieve pressure on local producers struggling to meet consumption levels. Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha confirmed the decision, describing it as a necessary intervention to prevent price increases at a time when demand has outpaced what domestic farms can supply.

The surge in consumption caught producers off guard, straining supply chains that had, until recently, been sufficient for the local market. Officials say the shortfall risked driving up prices for consumers already contending with rising costs elsewhere. The decision to import was not made unilaterally. It followed consultations between the ministry and the national poultry producers' association, whose members raised concerns that unmanaged demand could push prices beyond what ordinary households could bear. Mustapha said the collaborative approach was intended to protect both consumers and the domestic industry, rather than allow one to suffer for the other's benefit.

Responsibility for facilitating the imports has been assigned to the state's marketing corporation, which will coordinate the flow of chicken into the country and its distribution through existing local suppliers. This approach was chosen deliberately. Rather than establishing new distribution channels, the government intends to work through networks already familiar to consumers and retailers. Officials say this should minimise disruption while the imports are underway. The ministry has also pledged close oversight of the market during this period, stating that prices will be monitored to ensure they remain stable and that no party seeks to profit unduly from the temporary shortage. Inspectors are expected to track pricing at key distribution points, with the ministry reserving the right to intervene should retailers attempt to exploit the situation.

Mustapha was careful to frame the measure as temporary. According to his forecast, domestic production is expected to return to normal levels by the end of the month, at which point the imports will no longer be necessary. The minister described the current arrangement as a stop-gap, designed to bridge the short window between now and when local farms catch up with demand. He added that the ministry does not intend to make chicken imports a regular feature of the market and will scale them back as soon as domestic supply allows.

Beyond the immediate response, the ministry is pressing ahead with a longer-term strategy aimed at strengthening the country's poultry sector so that similar shortfalls become less likely in future. Central to this effort is the rollout of modernised, ventilated poultry houses, many of which are being operated by young entrepreneurs entering the agricultural sector for the first time. Each facility is designed to hold 40,000 birds per six-week production cycle, a scale intended to meaningfully increase national output once fully operational.

The government's ambition is to expand this network to 13 operational facilities by the end of the year. Officials view the initiative as a way of building resilience into the domestic supply chain, reducing the likelihood that future spikes in demand will require emergency imports. The involvement of young farmers is also seen as a deliberate effort to draw new entrants into an industry that has traditionally struggled to attract younger workers, with the modernised infrastructure offering a more efficient and less labour-intensive alternative to older methods of poultry farming.

Mustapha said the ventilated pen programme reflected the ministry's broader intention to address the underlying causes of supply shortages rather than relying solely on imports whenever demand rises. He noted that the current situation, while manageable, had exposed gaps in domestic capacity that the new infrastructure is designed to close. As the poultry houses come online over the coming months, officials expect production capacity to increase steadily, with the ministry monitoring progress against its year-end target of 13 facilities.

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