“Back in 2018, our dream was to become one of the major players in Sofala province. We believed that our eggs would be on most tables in Sofala. We sought help, we invested all our savings in this business. And when we thought we had attained our goals, the unexpected happened. IDAI, a name we will never forget arrived and destroyed our dreams.” – Lote Muchanga, owner & managing-director, Quinta do Bom Ovo, Beira, Sofala.
When I first visited Quinta do Bom Ovo, back in 2017, I was surprised by their commitment to becoming a reliable business. The farm was full of hope and energy. The workers had so much to give. At the time, they produced and distributed close to 5,000 eggs a day and they wanted to double their production. Back then, Quinta do Bom Ovo had a reliable distribution network, with their main clients being 3 local retail shops.
In 2018, Quinta do Bom Ovo qualified to receive funding from GAIN’s Scaling Up Markets for Nutritious Foods (SMNF) project to improve their production facilities and invest in equipment to increase daily production. Their goal was to reach 20,000 eggs per day by the end of 2019. They were on track to reach that goal and we all believed in the project.
“In January 2019, before we had even received the funds, we decided to increase our production. We purchased more point-of-lay chickens and were expected to produce close to 9,000 eggs per day,” says Mr Muchanga, adding “We were anxious. We knew that the market would buy our eggs, as there are very few producers in the province. We depend on other provinces and on imports.” Their commitment also encouraged us at GAIN to invest in the sector.
But then, IDAI came. And with it, the whole region was devastated. From March 14, 2019 and for the following days, no one knew what was happening in the province and region.
On March 21, a week after cyclone IDAI hit Beira and the central region of Mozambique, affecting thousands of people and ravaging countless businesses, we reached out to Mr Muchanga and asked him about the impact of the cyclone on his farm.
“Katia”, he called my name on the other side of the line. Communications were one of the challenges at the time, nevertheless his fading voice couldn’t disguise the frustration, sadness and despair he was going through. “Katia, we are all fine here. I have only been able to get to the farm yesterday. Unfortunately, our infrastructure was destroyed. There is no more Quinta do Bom Ovo. Our chickens are still there, we lost more than 350 chickens out of 9,000. But I am afraid things will get worse and we might need to sell all the chickens, as there is scarcity of feed in Beira. All roads linking the province with the rest of the country are interrupted and we don’t know what will happen next.” He told me.
Those words were very sad. I was in front of someone I knew to be energetic and who I saw as a successful entrepreneur, but who was almost giving up on his dreams.
In the following days and weeks, we had discussions at the office. We reached out to our colleagues in headquarters. As we believed in the businesses we were working with, to increase access and availability to safe and nutritious foods in the country, we decided that it was time to seek support to recover them. Therefore, with the support from the Government of the Netherlands we designed and implemented the RFS – Recovering Food Systems post-cyclone. Through this project, we identified various businesses in Sofala, Manica and Cabo Delgado and gave them grants for rapid recovery of their operations. We intended to contribute to the rapid restoration of the local food systems, as we also believed that through similar projects, more people would resume their jobs.
Quinta do Bom Ovo was one of the beneficiaries of the project. With our assistance, they rebuilt the infrastructures these are now more resilient to natural disaster. The first pavilion they have built has the capacity for 10,000 chickens. They are now finalizing the second pavilion that is expected to be fully operational in early January 2021.
“As you know, we received the first funds after the March events. But that money was already committed for a specific project. We then needed to identify funds to bring the business back to its situation before the cyclone. Therefore, we applied and qualified for the recovery funds that helped us in rebuilding the farm” Mr Muchanga said, his eyes shining. One can see that his confidence is being restored.
“I don’t believe in such miracles. I thought it was the end of my business. But suddenly, we managed to get back on track. Today we are receiving 7,500 chickens and we will have our eggs in the market within the next few days. This comes in a timely manner as the festive season approaches and we will contribute to increase access to fresh eggs in our city”, he said.
Like Quinta do Bom Ovo, eleven other local egg producers and businesses throughout the food systems received funds from GAIN through the SMNF and the RFS projects nationwide.
Presently, it is estimated that Mozambicans eat only 10 to 12 eggs per year. Most of the neighboring countries have a much higher consumption of eggs (in Zimbabwe and South Africa, the annual per capita consumption is above 40 eggs, respectively). On the other side, it is important to mention that of the total eggs consumed by the Mozambicans, only 40% are locally produced and the remainder are imported.
Therefore, it is expected that with increased investment in the sector, more eggs will be made available in the market and we will reduce our dependence on imports. Moreover, we also believe that by strengthening the sector, all other stakeholders will also benefit, from those producing the raw materials (soya and maize, for instance), to the suppliers of day-old-chicks and other inputs.
We understand that there are still challenges to overcome this situation. Therefore, GAIN is committed to work with all stakeholders, from the Government entities to the local business associations and the egg producers themselves, to increase their engagement in the development of the industry.
This is one of the motivations that led us to celebrate the World Egg Day, on October 9, under the slogan Increase. Nourish. Maintain. Together. – To increase demand for eggs, to nourish children worldwide, to maintain the supply and consumption of eggs, regardless of the impacts of COVID-19, together.
