“I have been in the poultry business since 2005. At an early stage, I worked in the district of Manica, where I had only one poultry house with the capacity to produce 1000 chicks per cycle. After a few years and with the experience that I gained, I decided to transfer the business to the city of Chimoio, in 2014. From that moment, I decided to increase the investment in poultry farming. At that time, I decided to invest in the construction of new pavilions and I bought a van with a cold system and another one to transport material and equipment. I also invested in a small cold system and in the construction of two stores, one in Chimoio and another in Pemba, Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique. I was already dedicated to the business when I met the Marketplace for Nutritious Foods. This was a crucial moment for my business. "- – Alima Napido, owner of NADIH, a chicken production and processing company.
Chimoio – the sleeping monster
The city of Chimoio, the central province of Manica, has one of the largest concentrations of businessmen and entrepreneurs who bet on agribusiness, developing agricultural production, fish farming, cattle raising, among others. The agri-ecological conditions of this region, the strong connection to the Zimbabwean market and the presence of South African farmers, among others, are factors that have greatly contributed to this entrepreneurial capacity in the region. Alima Napido is part of this generation of entrepreneurs who decided to invest in the poultry production.
Alima started the activities in 2005 and since then has been focusing on the production and processing of broilers, as well as distribution in the cities of Chimoio and Pemba through NADIH, E.I, her company. NADIH is located 10 minutes from the Chimoio city center in Chissui.
Challenges in the access to means of chicken production in Chimoio
“Here in Chimoio we have the possibility of acquiring part of the necessary inputs for poultry farming”, Alima says, then proceeding “The chicks are acquired in the companies of Mr. Abílio Antunes, the largest supplier in the region. Unfortunately, we still do not have quality feed, produced locally, reason why this is acquired in Maputo. The feed is fundamental to this business and its acquisition in Maputo competes to increase the cost of production of the birds, which ends up making our chicken more expensive. We would like to have more feed production units locally. There are initiatives under development, and we hope they start producing soon.”
Dreams, ideas, plans: the beginning of a new stage
In the midst of the conversation, Alima invites us to visit her facilities. New, one can tell. Equipped with four intelligent pavilions, with a total production capacity of 12 thousand chickens per cycle, the company has cutting-edge technology, both for feeding chicks, for aeration and heating of facilities, among others. The entire production line is automated.
The other wing of the premises is filled by the new slaughterhouse, also incorporating an automated slaughter line and poultry processing, including a new shock chamber and another one for conservation of the final product. To reduce the effects of power oscillation or failure, the new unit is equipped with a 125KVA electric generator. All equipment and facilities were funded by the Marketplace for Nutritious Foods, a project implemented by GAIN, with funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The Community of Practices - A Business Opportunity
“I am very motivated to continue this activity. The support of the Marketplace for Nutritious Foods brought new dynamics to my business. We will produce more, with more quality and more affordable. We are ready to serve the market, since other producers in the region will be able to process their birds here in our slaughterhouse and have a product that respects the procedures and standards of food quality, especially at this stage where Mozambique is betting on poultry as one of the pillars for the reduction of hunger and chronic malnutrition” said Alima.
NADIH is a member of the Marketplace for Nutritious Foods Community of Practices and has participated in various training sessions and business meetings promoted by GAIN. “In GAIN-sponsored trainings, we have learned many techniques for business management, marketing, and food safety and quality. My area of work is very sensitive. The topics on quality management, food integrity and care with the conservation of chicken, among others, were very useful. As a result, we noticed a reduction in mortality in our poultry houses. But we realize that birds grow healthier and reach consumers with better quality. We are betting on being a reference in the city and region”, said Alima, not hiding a mix of pride and satisfaction.
As part of the training and exchange of experience, Alima Napido was invited by GAIN in November 2016 to attend an international conference on nutrition in Nairobi, Kenya, during which she also had the opportunity to visit different enterprises and exchange experiences with other chicken producers and distributors. “During the trip to Nairobi, I really enjoyed our visit to Chicken Choice. Learning how they position the chicken for low purchasing power populations and still managed to direct about twenty distribution points was very interesting. I realized that maybe it is better to position our product for this social layer, which buys in small quantities, because it has no capacity for home conservation”, said Alima.
NADIH competed for funds from the Marketplace for Nutritious Foods and received a business and financing plan for the construction of 2 new pavilions, rehabilitation of 2 existing pavilions, construction of a new chicken processing and conservation room, construction of a building with toilets and cafeteria for the workers. On the other hand, the investment was used to purchase equipment for the pavilions and the processing room, as well as the acquisition of a cold room and a generator.
With the new investments, the factory will be able to process and store 15.6 tons of chicken per month.
