LETTER: Dumped chicken benefits only middlemen
Government has turned its back on an industry decimated by imports
I refer to the letter from Tumi Mokwene of Kameeldrift West and agree that the dumping of chicken does not only affect big companies like RCL Foods and Astral, but all chicken farmers "Dumped Chicken Hits Small Farmers Harder" (March 8). The government turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the concerns of all farmers and other industries, for example textiles, and other effective businesses that are disadvantaged by cheap imports. Small farmers and contract growers will slowly disappear, as I did along with the jobs of the 400 people I employed. The consumers do not benefit from the cheap imports — it’s only the importers and middlemen that make the money. Most butcheries and some retailers repack the imported products into plain packaging or their own brands. Limit the imports, or have a quota system on imports, and increase the duties and levies and the country will collect billions of rand for the fiscus. This will increase employment by boosting our local poultry industry, as well...
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