Poultry meat and eggs supply problems in Africa despite remarkable dynamics
Asia, South America, and Africa have shown remarkable dynamics in the past decade, both in population growth and meat and egg production. This article focuses on Africa’s role in global meat and egg production.
Between 2012 and 2022 (Table 1), Africa had the highest relative population increase of all continents at 28.6% and, with an absolute increase of over 313 million, was in second place behind Asia, but far ahead of the other continents.
This development will continue in the coming decades. The United Nations forecasts a population of 2.489 billion for Africa in 2050, which corresponds to a relative increase of 76.5% from 2022. The population of Asia, on the other hand, is only expected to increase by 12.4% to 5.290 billion. The 4 most populous countries in Africa (Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Egypt) will account for 879 million, or 35.3% of the total population, with Nigeria occupying an exceptional position with 440 million inhabitants (i.e., a share of 17.7%).
The expected dynamics signifies an almost insurmountable problem with regard to the supply of food, especially protein, and, in contrast to Asia and South America, is likely to result in famine in a number of countries with low per capita income. The gap between the countries with the highest and lowest value added, and therefore purchasing power, is extremely high (Table 2).
Remarkable development differences
Between 2012 and 2022, global meat production increased from 307.5 million tonnes to 360.6 million tonnes (up 17.3%). Asia recorded the highest absolute increase at 24.2 million tonnes, followed by Central and South America at 11.1 million tonnes. Meat production in Africa increased from 17.5 million tonnes to 22.7 million tonnes (by 5.2 million tonnes). Although this growth was significantly lower than in Central and South America, it was the highest of all continents with a relative growth rate of 29.9%.
In Europe and North America, growth of only 10.7% and 12.4%, respectively, was achieved. The different dynamics resulted in remarkable changes in the shares of the individual continents in global production (Figure 1). While Central and South America, Africa and Asia were able to increase their shares in the period under review, Europe and North America lost share; the largest decline was in Europe (down 1.1%). Global production of pork and beef increased by 9.2% and 11.8%, respectively, between 2012 and 2022, a much lower rate than chicken meat, the production volume of which increased by 29.9%. Looking at the 3 most important meat types in terms of their development at the continental level, there are some notable differences.
Poultry meat production in more detail
Global production of poultry meat, particularly chicken meat, was dynamic between 2012 and 2022. The production volume of poultry meat increased from 107.2 million to 139.2 million tonnes (29.9%). Chicken meat accounted for 29.3 million tonnes, which is 91.5% of the 32.1 million tonnes growth in production volume. This global dynamic is reflected in Africa. With an increase of 3.2 million tonnes (63%), the continent recorded the highest relative growth rate. It was followed by Asia (40.7%) and Central and South America (25.4%). The lowest increase was in North America (12%). It should be noted, however, that this low growth rate was due to high per capita consumption, which was already reached in 2012.Africa was able to increase its share in global production from 4.7% to 5.9% due to the rapid growth in production. This is due to the remarkable dynamics in the production of chicken meat (almost exclusively young chickens). With an increase of 56.2%, the highest relative growth rate of all continents was achieved, resulting in an increase in the share in the global production volume from 5% to 6.3% (Figure 2).
Egg production in more detail
Hen eggs and eggs from other poultry species are also produced and consumed, and these play an important role in the population’s protein supply. As production costs are comparatively low due to the favourable feed conversion rate of laying hens, they are generally more affordable for the population than meat. Like chicken meat, the consumption of eggs is not subject to any religious taboos, and as they can be kept unrefrigerated and used in various dishes, the remarkable rise in production is understandable.
Between 2012 and 2022, the global production volume rose from 67 million to 87 million tonnes (29.8%). At 862,000 tonnes, or 4.3%, Africa accounted for a much smaller share in the global increase of 20 million tonnes than chicken meat. The contribution to global production fell from 4.7% to 4.6% (Figure 3) because much higher growth volumes were achieved in other continents, particularly Central and South America and Asia. Africa is lagging behind the other continents due to a lack of intensive production with hybrid hens as well as a lack of expertise on the part of farm managers and an insufficient supply of high-quality feed. However, for some years now, leading breeding companies and non-profit organisations have been taking steps to expand egg production and improve the supply of protein to the population, especially children.
Other types of animal protein
- The high proportion of Muslims explains why only 2.1 million tonnes of pork was produced in 2022. Although the production volume increased by 666,000 tonnes (45.4%) in the decade under review, the share in global production was only 1.7%.
- With regard to beef production, Africa accounted for 870,000 tonnes (11.9%) of the increase in global production from 62 million to 69.3 million tonnes.
- Sheep and goat meat is important for the diet of pastoral people and their milk also plays a role in protein supply. The production of sheep meat increased by 20% between 2012 and 2022, and that of goat meat by 24.5%. Africa contributed 19.1% to the global increase in sheep meat and 27.8% in goat meat.
A synopsis
Table 3 summarises the key figures on Africa’s position in global meat and egg production.
It is worth noting that the increase in meat production by 5.2 million tonnes between 2012 and 2022 was primarily a result of the remarkable momentum in the production of chicken meat, which alone accounted for 58.8%. There were almost equally high absolute increases in pig meat and chicken eggs, although the relative growth rate for pork was significantly higher. It should be noted that the initial value for pig meat was 2 million tonnes lower than that for hen eggs. At 65.2%, the highest relative increase was achieved for chicken meat. This figure is in line with the red-white shift in meat production observed worldwide. Africa’s high share in global sheep and goat meat production indicates that these meat types are of great importance in the nutrition of the population, especially in arid regions.
When comparing the development of meat and hen egg production in Africa with population dynamics, it becomes obvious that only poultry and pork achieved higher relative increases than population growth, while chicken eggs and goat meat had similar values. The major differences in the availability of meat and eggs in the population’s diet become apparent at country level.
