FOOD PRODUCTION
NEVA MAKGETLA: Chicken imports have benefited the poor
Raising poultry tariffs would save the companies at the cost of low-income households, writes Neva Makgetla
Suppose a group of companies suggested that to keep them profitable and avoid 5,000 lay-offs, the New Year should be rung in with a 30% increase in tariffs on a staple food. Given the inevitable effect on poor households, it is hard to see much hope for this proposal. The social and political burden of higher food prices for low-income families would far outweigh the anticipated benefits. Yet the poultry industry is lobbying hard for exactly this proposition. Chicken is a key food for poor households. Since 1994, per-person chicken consumption in SA has more than doubled. Consumption of red meat and maize has risen by less than 10% each and dairy products by a third. South Africans consequently now eat 50% more chicken than red meat. In 1994, SA ranked 50th internationally in terms of chicken consumption per person; it is about 35th now. Relatively restrained chicken price increases helped boost consumption. Chicken is one of the very few basic foods that has not seen large real pri...
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