Ross Breeders Zambia plans major expansion
Ross Breeders Africa is expanding its Zambian operations with SmartPro incubation technologies and air handling systems from Pas Reform. The project includes a new broiler hatchery, additional breeder houses, a new grandparent farm, staff housing and ancillary buildings.
The SmartHatchPro hatchers incorporate anodized aluminium panels and a 5-blade, Vortex-based airflow system, for complete temperature homogeneity. Ross Breeders Zambia is among the first in the world to adopt this innovative incubation system.
The broiler hatchery, situated at the Company’s main breeding farm close to Lusaka, will hatch 1 million day old broiler chicks per week in a state-of-the-art new building, designed to hatch six times per week rather than the conventional four. This system enables Ross Breeders Zambia to fully realise the genetic performance of the Ross 308 while also giving customers more choice on which day of the week to place broilers.
Additional breeder houses will be constructed when the hatchery is completed in October this year, to triple Ross Breeders Zambia’s production capacity with the complete relocation of the current Grand Parent Project to the new site at Mazabuka. This will allow full veterinary compartmentalization of the facility, which will open new export markets as well as securing the veterinary status of the flocks. A greenfield project, the new breeder facility will comprise a dedicated new grandparent hatchery, separate and bio-secure breeder facilities and staff housing. GP farm and parent breeder houses are due for completion by the end of 2014.
Colin Lindsay, managing director of Ross Breeders Zambia, commented on the developments: ” This investment is a reflection of [Ross Breeders Zambia’s] continuing commitment to the Region as an expanding economy.
“The new facility will create 200 new jobs in the poultry sector, as a hub for the export of parent stock all over southern and central Africa, as well as providing the local industry with Ross 308 broilers and parents.
“We chose Pas Reform because sound engineering and technological advances in the SmartPro incubators will see us producing the best quality chicks for a long time to come. We are thrilled to be one of the first customers for the SmartHatchPro’s Vortex-based airflow system. This is a very exciting project for Zambia and the region”.
