When prices of broilers plunged earlier in 2025, Abel Ukundimana, a poultry farmer in Rwamagana District, had no choice but to later halt rearing this breed specifically designed for meat production—an exit mirrored by many others that has since left the market short of chicken. Ukundimana recalls that from between May and November, broiler prices fell below profitable levels, pushing many farmers out of the sector without notice. ALSO READ: Festive season: Chicken, beef demand triggers price hikes Before the downturn, Ukundimana was raising nearly 30,000 broiler chickens a month. However, as losses deepened and poultry houses stood empty, he was forced to halt broiler production and shift to layers. “I had no choice. I stopped broilers and moved into egg production,” he said, noting that he has only recently resumed broiler farming on a much smaller scale – as prices showed signs of recovery. “I incurred losses of about Rwf150 million,” Ukundimana who was also forced to lay off workers. “I used to employ 10 to 15 people. Now I have only five or six.” What went wrong? The Rwanda Poultry Industry Association says the situation was widespread, stating that production costs in 2025 were higher than prices for broiler meat. Its chairperson, Jean de Dieu Hakizimana, told The New Times that broiler production costs — driven largely by expensive industrial feed — ranged between Rwf3,200 and Rwf3,500 per kilogramme. Animal feed accounts for up to 70 per cent of production costs, according to farmers. Yet throughout much of 2025, Hakizimana said, farmers sold broilers at a loss, with prices in some cases dropping to Rwf2,500–Rwf2,800 per kilogramme, and rarely reaching Rwf3,000. “As losses accumulated, many farmers gradually exited broiler farming, while others reduced their flock sizes,” Hakizimana said. “By the end of the year, when demand is highest, broiler meat became scarce,” he said. ALSO READ: What’s behind soaring meat prices? Referring to the factors underlying the issue, Ukundimana said many people entered poultry farming at the same time, supply flooded the market, prices collapsed, and farmers started making losses. Some quit as a result. At the height of the downturn, broiler meat prices fell below Rwf3,000 per kilogramme—well under the break-even point of Rwf3,500—leaving farmers unable to cover production costs, Ukundimana said. He added that the situation was compounded by rising production costs, particularly animal feed. He said that the price of a kilogramme of feed increased from Rwf450 to between Rwf775 and Rwf785, largely due to shortages of maize and soya, the main ingredients used in feed production. ALSO READ: Livestock sector players push for strategic cereal reserve amid high feed cost Ukundimana also highlighted a lack of transparency in the poultry value chain, particularly among hatcheries and chick suppliers. Farmers are not informed about how many chicks are being supplied or imported. This information is treated like a secret, yet it affects production decisions across the sector, Ukundimana said. According to him, the recent recovery in broiler prices in December benefited only farmers who had managed to stay in production. For many others, the damage had already been done, leaving the market undersupplied and farmers struggling to recover from months of losses. Festive season exposes the shortage The supply squeeze became evident during Christmas and New Year shopping season. A survey by The New Times at Nyabugogo and Kimironko markets in Kigali on December 31 found broiler meat retailing at Rwf6,500 per kilogramme — the same price as local chicken, which traditionally sells at a premium. Before the festive season, broiler meat was wholesaled at about Rwf3,000 per kilogramme and retailed at around Rwf3,500–Rwf4,000. Wholesale prices have since jumped to around Rwf6,000, leaving retailers with little room to sell below Rwf6,500. This represents a retail price increase of roughly 62 to 85 per cent. In contrast, prices of local chicken remained largely unchanged at about Rwf6,500 per kilogramme. Joselyne Niyonsaba, manager of Nziza Fresh Butchery at Kimironko Market, said broiler prices surged in the days leading up to the New Year. “Before Christmas 2025, broiler chicken was selling at about Rwf4,000 per kilo. Now it goes for Rwf6,500,” she said, attributing the spike to shortages. She explained that when prices were low earlier in the year, many farmers stopped or reduced production and failed to restock chicks. “That has now resulted in shortages,” she said.
