Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture has signed a USD 10.15 million contract with China’s Agrifam Co., Ltd to build a fully automated poultry hatchery. The project aims to strengthen domestic poultry production capacity and support the country’s growing demand for animal protein.
The new hatchery will be designed to incubate poultry eggs, including chickens, turkeys and ducks, and produce day-old chicks for commercial farming operations. Once completed, the facility is expected to provide an annual incubation capacity of 63 million eggs.
The African Development Bank is supporting the investment through the Ethiopia Poultry Value Chain Development Program. The project is expected to improve access to quality poultry inputs and strengthen the wider poultry value chain.
According to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture, the agreement includes the delivery of modern equipment, installation, technical testing, commissioning and the construction of related infrastructure. It also includes the supply of spare parts for five years to support long-term reliability and operational sustainability.
Construction is expected to begin within one week of the agreement taking effect, and the project is planned for completion within 12 months. This timeline reflects Ethiopia’s push to accelerate investment in agricultural production systems and reduce supply gaps in the poultry sector.
The project supports Ethiopia’s National Poultry Development Strategy 2022–2031, which aims to increase annual chicken meat production to 106,000 metric tons over the long term. The country has already recorded growth in chicken meat production, rising from 48,846 metric tons in 2022 to 61,261 metric tons in 2024.
The hatchery investment also aims to reduce Ethiopia’s dependence on imported chicks. In 2025, the country imported nearly USD 3.4 million worth of chicks to meet domestic demand, showing the need for stronger local production capacity.
Overall, the Ethiopia-Agrifam poultry project represents an important step in strengthening food production, improving agricultural value chains and supporting commercial poultry farming. By expanding local hatchery capacity, Ethiopia aims to boost domestic supply, reduce imports and support long-term growth in its poultry industry.
