The Poultry Association of Zambia PAZ) is confident that the poultry industry is expected to record a positive growth this year as compared to last year.

Association Executive Director Dominic Chanda says this can be seen from a number of poultry farmers who have decided to invest massively in the industry.

Mr. Chanda has also emphasized that there are a number of challenges the industry has faced such as high cost of stock feed.

He notes that from June this year, the industry has seen a sharp increase in the price of stock feed stating that a 50 kilogram of broiler feed is selling at K270.

He says due to the high cost of stock feed, a number of poultry farmers are unable to sustain their businesses a situation that has seen most of them leaving the business.

Mr. Chanda has attributed the increase of stock feed on the market to the high price of soya beans which has been triggered by the high price of maize buying by the private sector.

He has therefor urged the ministry of Agriculture to start supporting small scale farmers who are the major producers of maize from the current production system to what is called requisition farming.

And Mr. Chanda adds that his year the industry is expected to record a positive production of eggs adding production of eggs suffered a setback last year due to a number of challengers faced by the industry.