Strengthening the poultry sector in Senegal

Many Senegalese rely on marine fish for the bulk of the animal protein in their diets. Increasing pressure on marine fish stocks is thus a particularly important issue. Protecting and replenishing these fish stocks is needed. However, alternatives also need to be developed. Eggs and chicken meat are gram for gram the next most affordable animal protein after sardines, which many would consider the national food of Senegal. Over the last decade poultry production has made a leap forward- both in terms of volumes produced and in the means of production. Today, most chicken is produced in a highly efficient large agro-industrial model. Small-scale producers have shifted to broiler production using imported genetics. The port of Dakar provides imported feed ingredients at competitive prices to producers, the majority of whom are clustered nearby along the coast and in Thiès. Sedima, the largest producer of chicken and eggs, now also produces hatching eggs locally. This increases the ...