BY SAMUEL NJINGA IN MASViNGO.
What was meant to be a profitable festive season for poultry farmers in Masvingo Province turned into a nightmare late last year, as a wave of stunted growth and abnormal chick mortality swept across broiler farms in the region. Between November and December 2024, hundreds of small-scale and commercial producers suffered heavy losses due to a mysterious phenomenon that affected chick growth rates, raising serious concerns about input quality and disease management in the poultry value chain.
From Hwendedzo to Chivi, farmers reported that their broiler chicks failed to develop at expected rates, even under proper feeding and environmental conditions. In Hwendedzo, farmer Norman Mutyavavira described the impact as “crippling,” saying over 100 chicks from a batch of 350 died or failed to grow beyond two weeks old. Rosemary Chivava, another poultry farmer in Chidzikwe, echoed similar concerns, noting that 30 out of 150 chicks in her batch showed no signs of typical growth despite regular feeding.
“It was as if they were genetically faulty,” she said. “We lost money not only through mortality but also from feeding birds that didn’t reach market weight.”
The problem, however, was not isolated to Masvingo. By late November 2024, reports of stunted broiler growth were being recorded across the country. The Zimbabwe Poultry Producers’ Association (ZPPA) confirmed the anomaly, prompting an urgent investigation involving breeders, feed manufacturers, veterinary experts and representatives from the Zimbabwe Chicken Breeders’ Association (ZCBA) and the Zimbabwe Small-scale Poultry Producers’ Association (ZSPPA).
The causes were multi-faceted: suspected poor-quality chicks, inconsistent feed formulations, and possible disease vectors were all being explored. The festive season, normally a high-profit window for poultry farmers, became a period of deep losses and uncertainty, particularly for those who had borrowed money or scaled up operations in anticipation of higher demand.
In response to these challenges, the government doubled down on support efforts. Through the Presidential Poultry Scheme, nearly 2 million chicks were distributed to households nationwide by the end of 2024. Masvingo Province alone received 172 828 birds as part of a broader plan to improve household nutrition and income streams through free-range poultry production.
Complementing this was the strategic refurbishment of the Masvingo Provincial Veterinary Laboratory, which has become a critical facility in detecting and managing livestock diseases. According to Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development officials, the upgraded lab allows for faster diagnostics and has significantly reduced the time required to respond to animal health outbreaks.
While commercial broiler farmers took a hit, indigenous poultry projects emerged as a more resilient component of the sector. In Chiredzi and Mwenezi, over 600 households benefited from an indigenous poultry value chain initiative supported by development partners. These farmers received training, breeding stock, and assistance in accessing local markets fostering a decentralised model of poultry production less dependent on commercial hatcheries and imported feeds.
This hybrid approach of empowering smallholders with hardy local breeds is now being looked at as a sustainable alternative in the wake of the broiler crisis.
Agricultural economist Dr. Moffat Makuyana from Great Zimbabwe University said the events of late 2024 serve as a wake-up call for both private and public actors in the poultry sector.
“We need tighter quality control systems for feed and chicks, more localised breeding solutions, and support for research into climate-adaptive poultry genetics,” he said. “The growth of this sector depends on confidence — both for producers and consumers.”
With poultry playing a key role in Zimbabwe’s food security and rural livelihoods, the resilience shown by Masvingo’s farmers particularly women and youth-led projects offers hope. But the sector’s long-term success will hinge on stronger coordination, better surveillance systems, and greater transparency from input suppliers.
As 2025 unfolds, Masvingo stands at a crossroads with painful lessons in hand but also a renewed determination to build a smarter, more robust poultry industry. (13 JAN 2025)