By Amadou Manjang
The Proprietress of Muna’s Poultry Farm at Brusubi, Mrs. Maimuna Badjie, has lamented that lack of accessible markets and consistent customers base for local poultry products, are affecting the industry.
Badjie started her poultry farming seven years ago, but she has always been facing difficulties in the marketing of the chickens and eggs her farm produces.
The only time she makes good sales, as she disclosed, is during tourism seasons when hotels would buy locally- produced eggs in large quantities.
“But when the season ends, we face difficulties of selling the eggs,” she decried, adding her farm could not make partnership with hotels because hotels take eggs on credit and it takes a month before they’ll pay.
“As a small scale farmer, that is not be helpful to us,” the Muna’s founder argued. She went on to lament that the local markets she is relying on, are not reliable. She further said sales are low, and “yet, mature chickens can’t be kept longer” because that requires extra costs of feeding.
“When the broiler chickens are forty-five [45] days old, you’ve to sell them. Because keeping them will need an extra cost of feeding and one bag of their food cost 15,000. And I buy 21 bags for the forty-five days,” the female poultry farm owner told Mansa Banko Online.
She disclosed that some of the chickens even died, whilst the importation of chicks from Senegal drains her expenditures.
Despite the challenges, Maimuna is determined to promote Poultry Farming
Despite the challenges relating to good markets, Maimuna is determined to promote poultry farming to produce fresh chickens.
She reasoned that she had ventured into poultry farming because she wanted to reduce the important of chicken into the country, by promoting local chicken production.
“But the challenges still are the lack of accessible market and consistent customers,” she re-echoed.
The female poulterer said she was motivated when she visited Senegal seeing the Senegalese’s people eating what they produced.
Her words: “Before I start farming, I see that there are lots of poultry importations, and when I went to Senegal, I also see the Senegalese people prefer local chickens than imported ones. So, I also want to reduce the importation of poultry in the country.”
Maimuna’s Production
Muna’s Poultry Farm produces over five hundred chickens every 45 days, and hundreds of eggs; with several kilos of guano as organic manure.
The farm has over 200 layers (hens) for egg production and 300 broilers for meat production.
Appeal For Help
Mrs. Badjie said there is need for Gambians to patronize local farming to encourage boosting the industry.
She is hopeful that, that will help to expand poultry farming in producing more chickens and eggs.
The Proprietress called on the Gambia government to help poultry farmers by creating accessible market outlets so that they could easily sell their products.
Her appeal goes to private individuals also, calling on those with the wherewithals to help her with solar lamps for the lightening of the chickens’ domiciles, and water facility for their drinking.
