Aviagen®, along with its regional distributor, Ross Breeders Zambia, which is a part of the Country Bird Holding Group, is continuing to invest in the African region to enhance its developing supply chain and its ‘global reach, local touch’ strategy with the creation of “Ross Central Africa Limited” based in Zambia, Sub-Saharan Africa.

The newly created company, Ross Central Africa Ltd is a joint venture between Aviagen and Ross® Breeders Zambia. This expansion allows Aviagen to improve security of supply, and to enhance its service and support to customers on this continent.

Ross Breeders Zambia (RBZ) is already well established in the region and wellknown as Aviagen’s Ross distributor, developing the Ross brand and sales for over 25 years. In order to further develop this supply base, both companies will invest together to further increase the production capacity and supply the high Parent Stock (PS) demand for the Ross® 308 breed in the region.

Ross Breeders Zambia shares the same mindset as Aviagen in ensuring the continent of Africa is provided with a sustainable source of protein for the foreseeable future, and also to provide a number of employment opportunities for the local population.

Population growth and macroeconomic improvements are driving the demand for chicken meat. It is important for Aviagen to supply and service its customers from a local production base and be able to provide a secure food supply.

Expanding global footprint and enhancing customer service with local production hub

Aviagen is continuously investing in R&D and technology to ensure it continues to deliver outstanding performance in the future. All Aviagen brands are performing exceptionally well at both Broiler and PS level. The branded PS and Broiler Clubs are welcoming more and more companies from the Sub Sahara region which shows that outstanding results are achievable in all regions of the world.

“The continent of Africa is very dynamic, diverse and is continuously growing. Aviagen is the world’s leading poultry breeding company and with this joint venture in Zambia, we are expanding our presence and our footprint in this region. The population of Africa is increasing each year and this regional hub means we can provide more local employment opportunities for people who understand the local business requirements and speak the local language, but most importantly, we can continue to feed the world and provide a sustainable source of protein,” commented Tom Exley, President, Turkey, Middle East and Africa (TMEA).

Jack Searle, Managing Director of CBH Africa Operations expressed his excitement for this new venture, “We have been working with Aviagen for over 25 years and we already have a successful history in developing Ross PS markets in Africa. This is an exciting opportunity and I look forward to working alongside Aviagen to further develop the poultry market in the region together.”

About Country Bird Holdings

Country Bird Holdings (CBH) is one of the largest poultry and animal feed producers in Africa. CBH was established in South Africa in 2003 and has operations in several countries including Nigeria, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The company has more than 5,000 employees and provides customers with a complete range of services to cover all aspects of this industry, including breeders, broilers, eggs, hatcheries, feed, distribution and logistics.

About Aviagen

Since 1923, Aviagen® has been a preferred global poultry breeding company with a mission to help its customers -- the world’s chicken meat producers -- supply sustainable, affordable and nutritious protein to their growing communities. Putting into practice its corporate value of “Breeding Sustainability,” Aviagen implements efficiencies that make commercial chicken production environmentally and socially responsible and economically beneficial to producers, while at the same time promoting bird performance, health and welfare.

To meet varied market demands, Aviagen offers a full portfolio of breeding stock under the Arbor Acres®, Indian River® and Ross® brand names. The Rowan Range® and Specialty Males® target slower-growing and other niche market needs. Aviagen is based in Huntsville, Alabama, US., with operations across the UK, Europe, Turkey, Latin America, India, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and the US, and joint ventures in Asia. The company employs close to 8,000 people, and serves customers in 100 countries.

For more information, please visit Aviagen.com, or follow Aviagen on LinkedIn