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November 18, 2022

Strengthening the poultry sector through improved maize production in Côte d'Ivoire

Animal Production Related
Ivory Coast

In Côte d'Ivoire, the consumption of poultry meat per capita per year has increased from 0.43 kg in 2006 to 2.8 kg in 2018 (Country Analysis - Côte d'Ivoire, 2018-). This trend is only growing with the continued increase in population, which offers good prospects for the poultry industry. The majority of chicken is still sold as whole chicken and is generally accessible to middle-class and wealthy consumers.

Maize is the second most important cereal in Côte d'Ivoire, after rice. According to the FAO, national maize production in the country in 2020 is estimated at 1.1 million tons compared to 600,000 tons in 2003. It is the most important raw material in the manufacture of livestock and poultry feed and represents more than 65% ingredients of poultry feed.

With a view to contributing to food sovereignty through quality poultry meat in Côte d'Ivoire, Koudijs Distribution Society (KDS) and 2SCALE have signed a partnership agreement. The partnership aims at the professionalization of the sector and the provision of commercial outlets for small-scale poultry and yellow maize producers, This partnership aims to strengthen the distribution channels for concentrated feed, chicks and yellow maize supply chains for poultry farmers, develop commercial relationships between maize farmers, millers, poultry farmers, slaughterhouses and distributors of poultry products (whole chicken, cuts and eggs) in order to facilitate access to sufficient quantities of poultry products of nutritional quality for urban and rural populations, including low-income consumers through cuts.

The objectives of the partnership include the inclusion of 6,000 small-scale yellow maize farmers and facilitating the adoption of eco-efficient practices on 11,000 hectares by the end of 2023.

Constraints at two levels

In the main maize production basins where the partnership is being implemented, maize farmers were facing many challenges. Worms, locusts, drought, and irregular rainfall which were affecting yields significantly. With these constraints, both poultry farmers and poultry feed companies were continually struggling with local supplies.

In order to address these challenges, 2SCALE has developed supportive partnership agreements with firms operating in the field of agricultural input supply. This has facilitated the popularization of biological solutions such as DELKALB 818 from Bayer, and Fawligen from UPL-CALLIVOIRE and training of good agricultural production practices by farmers.

More innovative solutions, with less reluctance...

In the Abengourou region, Issouf Sawadogo, a 30-year-old maize farmer, was, like other farmers in his community, constantly plagued by damage to their crops caused by the worm, or Spodoptera frugiperda scienctifically. He said that without the help of input suppliers and the KDS-2SCALE partnership, he and his colleagues would not be able to cope with the worm and locust attacks on their plots.

Indeed, through this partnership, biological solutions developed by the partner firms have been popularized in the Agribusiness Clusters (ABCs). These solutions act as repellents and are effective responses to the army worms and locust attacks. In this regard, Issouf recounts:

Previously, on less than one hectare, we gained 10 or 15 bags of maize (the equivalent of 1 or 1.5 tons), but when we applied the solutions on the same plot, we were able to obtain up to 40 bags (or 4 tons per hectare).

Although the producers in this ABC are satisfied with the results of their harvests, some are concerned about the price of inputs, which is more expensive than before. Issouf continues:

It's true that army worms and locusts are making us tired today. However, our big problem to date remains the price of inputs, especially good seeds and fertilizers.

Good things always do make things better

Djakaridja Soro, a producer in the locality of Bemavogo in the Korhogo ABC, is one of those producers who have adopted the innovations promoted in the context of the partnership with dedication, even if it was at the beginning simply a matter of curiosity.

Despite the delay in planting, Djakaridja says he was impressed with the harvest results.

For less than a hectare we had about 2.5 tons of yellow maize on the demonstration plots with the hybrid seeds; we were so happy that we decided to use the same seeds and techniques on the 35 hectares of the group next season. We know that we will harvest more, because good things always do things better.

Despite the concerns of some producers due to the high cost of inputs, the innovations introduced in the maize sector through the poultry partnership are resilient to climate change and contribute to improving agricultural productivity. Approved by all the actors who tested them, these innovations seem to bode well for producers in a sector that was previously poorly structured in Côte d'Ivoire, who see an improvement in their yields and their income.

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