EPAR Research Brief #91
Fri, 07/09/2010
Authors: 
Jon Armah
Robert Plotnick
Mary Kay Gugerty
Abstract: 

This report provides an overview of poultry market trends in Benin as compared to the wider West African region. In Benin, live chickens, hens, poultry meat, and eggs for consumption are subject to the 20 percent Common External Tariff (CET), which facilitates an influx of cheap poultry imports from the European Union (EU). Live turkeys and other poultry, reproducers, and hatching eggs are subject to a 5 percent tariff. In the late 1990s, Benin experienced an influx of cheap poultry products primarily from the EU. By 2002, annual poultry imports reached approximately 24,000 tons, more than the poultry imports of any other country in West Africa.  In 2004 and 2005, Benin banned imports of poultry and poultry by-products from countries affected by avian influenza. Current information about the poultry industry in Benin is limited. The primary sources for this analysis are a FAO poultry sector review from 2006, a poultry sector project report from the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), and a 2006 assessment by the Benin Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fishing. We find that the poultry sector plays an important economic, social and cultural role in Benin. Poultry and egg production is a major contributor to the agricultural sector and is an important source of nutrition and income for Beninese households. The poultry sector in Benin has the potential to improve the nutritional wellbeing and income security of a large percentage of the population. Traditional smallholders produce the majority of poultry products domestically; however, current production is limited due to low productivity, poor biosecurity, and lack of inputs. We find that a reduction of foreign imports and greater institutional support for the industry may help domestic producers reach their potential.

EPAR’s Poultry Markets in West Africa series provides an overview of poultry market trends across West Africa and compares the opportunities for poultry sector development in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. The accompanying briefs in this series provide country-specific detailed poultry market analyses. The primary resources for these analyses included many reports prepared in response to the Avian Influenza epidemic, which may explain some of the emphasis on the importance of biosecurity in the available literature. We find that the West African poultry sector faces high production costs, safety concerns due to lack of sanitary controls, and technical constraints in processing and marketing. In addition to biological issues, the lack of breeders, marketing, and processing technology present technical constraints to poultry sector growth. 

See also:

EPAR Research Brief #82: Poultry Markets in West Africa: Overview & Comparative Analysis

EPAR Research Brief #83: Poultry Markets in West Africa: Ghana

EPAR Research Brief #84: Poultry Markets in West Africa: Burkina Faso

EPAR Research Brief #85: Poultry Markets in West Africa: Mali

EPAR Research Brief #86: Poultry Markets in West Africa: Senegal

EPAR Research Brief #87: Poultry Markets in West Africa: Nigeria

EPAR Research Brief #88: Poultry Markets in West Africa: Côte d’Ivoire

EPAR Research Brief #89: Poultry Markets in West Africa: Niger

EPAR Research Brief #92: Poultry Markets in West Africa: Sierra Leone

 

Type of Research: 
Research Brief
Research Topic Category: 
Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Livelihoods
Market & Value Chain Analysis
Geographic focus: 
West Africa Region and Selected Countries

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