Irvine's invest $1.2million to update equipment at Waterfalls poultry farms

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Irvine’s Private Limited, a chicken and eggs producer, plans to spend $1,2 million on modern equipment to increase production of day-old chicks by May next year.

Irvine managing director David Irvine said the company would commit funds towards the mordenisation of its processing plant next year.

The company is currently producing at full capacity.

“We will be investing in the modern plant technology equipment at our poultry farm in Waterfalls. We deliberately made the place big knowing that we can increase incubators and breeders,” Irvine said.

Irvine said government should address the issue of power to back up industry's recapitalisation efforts.

“Today I was supposed to slaughter 50 000 chickens but there is no power for me to do so. This means increased costs for me in terms of feed,” Irvine said.

He said the company would embark on a project to empower small-scale farmers next year under which it would provide farmers with chicks, vaccines and chicken feed.

“We will require the farmers to build the houses following our specifications on the fence and change rooms. We will take the chickens back, pay the price and deduct the costs of chickens from the farmers,” Irvine said.

Irvine said the project would eradicate poverty in communities and improve nutritional input.

He said government should try avoid imports as local companies had rebuilt capacity to satisfy the poultry market.

Irvine’s Private Limited has a poultry farm in Waterfalls that has a modern egg plant and chicken plant that can produce a total of 160 000 birds per week.

The farm also has a large feed mill with a capacity of producing 900 tonnes of poultry feed per week.

The company has been issued permit by the government to import the chickens outside the country.