Importing chicken will not save the day – price-wise – for South Africa due to the rand’s weakness, said Paul Matthew, the CEO of the Association of Meat Importers & Exporters (Amie).
He said that the ultimate reality was that imported chicken was no longer affordable because of the depreciating rand and increased duties.
On Friday, the rand was trading at R19.5168 against the bullish US dollar as emerging market currencies took strain this week.
“It is also extremely unrealistic to think that the world is waiting to assist South Africa with cheap poultry. Our local food service businesses have specific requirements and approval processes that take time to be negotiated, and these cannot be substituted with imports overnight. Worldwide, producers are cutting back on production. Additionally, our authorities are slow to open markets after
