POULTRY FARM SIGNS: FARM BLOCK: BROODER HOUSES & CHICKENS: FEEDING: COLLECTING EGGS: FARMER'S HOUSE: BEER & MOR INSPECT CHICKEN: BATTERIES: FARMERS WIFE & BABY.




Initials LD/V/PN/SS



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: AT THE KAFUBU BLOCK, 20 MILES FROM LUANSHYA IN ZAMBIA, A SYSTEM OF FIVE POULTRY FARMS RUN BY TWO ISRAELIS, SOLOMON BEER AND DAVID MOR, IS A TOTALLY NEW EXPERIMENT IN POULTRY FARMING BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF MOSHAV SHITUFI (COMMON PRODUCTION BY INDIVIDUAL CONSUMPTION).

THE ISRAELI SYSTEM IS BASED ON THE KIBBUTZ IDEA -- BUT THE MAIN DIFFERENCE IS THAT, ALTHOUGH SYSTEM PRODUCTION IS A COMMUNITY EFFORT EACH FARMER CAN PROFIT INDIVIDUALLY.

THE FIVE FARMS, WHICH ARE ALL EQUAL IN SIZE, ARE FINANCED BY THE ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE TWO EXPERT FARMERS ARE ON LOAN FROM THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT. BOTH HAVE COME FROM KIBBUTZ IN ISRAEL AND WILL RETURN THERE AFTER TWO YEARS - WHEN THEY WILL BE REPLACED BY TWO OTHERS.

THE MOSHAV SHITUFI IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN ZAMBIA, BUT, IF IT PROVES SUCCESSFUL, THE NORMAL CO-OPERATIVE SYSTEMS WILL BE SCRAPPED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY AND THE NEW PLAN PUT INTO OPERATION THROUGH-OUT ZAMBIA. ALL INDICATIONS ARE THAT IT IS SUCCESSFUL. IN LESS THAT TWO YEARS THIS UNIT HAS ALREADY GOT 11,000 BIRDS PRODUCING 10,000 EGGS PER DAY - AND ABOUT 7000 OF THE BIRDS ARE GOOD FOR TABLE POULTRY. SHORTLY THE CAPACITY WILL BE EXTENDED TO 17,000 BIRDS - MOSTLY LEGHORNS AND RHODE ISLAND REDS.

ALL THE FARMERS ON THE BLOCK COME FROM COPPERBELT TOWNS, WHERE THE UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM WAS BECOMING SERIOUS AND HAVE RESPONDED TO THE GOVERNMENT'S APPEAL FOR PEOPLE WHO HAD FLOCKED TO THE TOWN TO GO "BACK TO THE LAND" AND HELP THEMSELVES WHILE HELPING THE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY OF THE COUNTRY.

THE UNIT'S PRODUCTION FOR 1969 IS EXPECTED TO REACH 3,000,000 EGGS - ONE MILLION MORE THAN LAST YEAR - AND IS EXPECTED TO GO A LONG WAY TO ANSWERING THE CALL MADE IN 1967 BY PRESIDENT KAUNDA FOR "AN EGG A DAY" FOR EACH OF ZAMBIA'S 4,000,000 INHABITANTS BY 1970.