Chamwe Kaira
1 May 2008
Windhoek — Why did the chicken cross the road? Residents of the small town of Karibib will be happy to learn that South Africa's third biggest poultry company has "crossed the road" and is planning to open a multi-million dollar facility in their area.
JSE-listed Country Bird Holdings Limited plans to open a poultry production unit in the town, it said in a notice to residents of Karibib that called on them to participate in an Environment Impact Assessment study on the project.
Country Bird said, through its wholly owned Namibian subsidiary Ross Africa Limited, it intends to establish a unit that incorporates all aspects of poultry production, commencing with the breeding and rearing of birds, through to poultry products.
Country Bird said it also plans to establish a hatchery, a farm to rear the birds, a feed mill and an abattoir for slaughtering chicken.
The company will hold a meeting with the residents of Karibib on 8 May as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment study. Karibib, 170km northwest of Windhoek, is also home to Anglo Ashanti's Navachab gold mine.
Country Bird, which listed on the JSE on 3 May 2007, is a holding company incorporating large integrated poultry and stock feed business operations in South Africa operating as Supreme and Nutri Feeds, and poultry breeding operations in the southern African region operating as Ross Africa.
Country Bird currently operates in South Africa, Botswana and Zambia.
Ross Africa operates in Zambia and Botswana where it has interests in poultry breeding operations using the Ross method.
Ross Zambia was acquired as a run down breeding operation in 2000. It was completely refurbished and restored to a poultry parent breeding operation producing 100 000 broiler day old chicks per week.
Ross Zambia now operates as a poultry grandparent breeding operation producing 165 000 broiler day old chicks per week, together with poultry parent day old chicks for its own consumption, as well as for exports into the region.
Ross Botswana was formed early in 2005 via the acquisition of a 60% shareholding in a hatchery. A leading poultry producer in that country owns the remaining 40%.
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