I refer to the letter from Tumi Mokwene of Kameeldrift West and agree that the dumping of chicken does not only affect big companies like RCL Foods and Astral, but all chicken farmers "Dumped Chicken Hits Small Farmers Harder" (March 8).
The government turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the concerns of all farmers and other industries, for example textiles, and other effective businesses that are disadvantaged by cheap imports.
Small farmers and contract growers will slowly disappear, as I did along with the jobs of the 400 people I employed. The consumers do not benefit from the cheap imports — it’s only the importers and middlemen that make the money. Most butcheries and some retailers repack the imported products into plain packaging or their own brands.
Limit the imports, or have a quota system on imports, and increase the duties and levies and the country will collect billions of rand for the fiscus. This will increase employment by boosting our local poultry industry, as well as encouraging small businesses that are allied to the chicken industry. All SA poultry producers can and will increase production if the playing fields are levelled.
Local production cost per kilogram is about R19-R20, whereas imports are dumped at R12-R15 per kilogram. You ask yourself the question, who is making the money?
Keith Lauwrens
Western Cape
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