Exploring Africa’s poultry powerhouses – a spotlight on Malawi
In this 2nd article in this series, Sebastiane Ebatamehi from The African Exponent gives a comprehensive overview of the country in 9th position in the top 10 poultry producing countries in Africa in 2025: Malawi.
Rising populations and urbanisation across Africa are fueling demand for affordable protein. In this regard, the poultry industry is emerging as a significant sector contributing to food security, employment, and economic growth across the continent.
Significant rise in Malawi’s poultry exports
Malawi’s poultry sector, although modest in overall output compared to Africa’s top producers, has in recent years distinguished itself by its sharp export growth and increasing market visibility.
In this regard, it is reported that poultry exports surged from about US$2 million in 2021 to US$10 million in 2024, reflecting improved capacity and stronger participation in regional value chains. A key driver behind this export growth is the increasing role of specialised poultry producers who have managed to scale operations.
High costs coupled with feed ingredient shortages
As in other regions, feed cost remains a major constraint and shortages of key inputs like soybeans have driven up costs significantly. For example, in 2024, Malawi saw soybean prices soar by nearly 48% between May and November, in part due to adverse weather conditions and market distortions. This has put pressure on both small-scale and commercial producers.
Inclusive growth
Nonetheless, the poultry sector is becoming increasingly important to Malawi’s diets as well as to the local economy. The country’s trade minister Sosten Gwengwe, commenting on the export growth, noted: “The poultry industry is on the rise… but we must ensure more inclusive growth so that small farmers are not left behind.”
A small producer can still crack export market
Malawi’s success offers lessons for other nations with similar endowments: scaling export-oriented poultry production is possible even without being a top volume producer, provided that producers can meet quality and regulatory standards and manage input costs and risks.
If Malawi can address feed supply and cost volatility, invest in cold chain and processing infrastructure, and widen participation beyond the few major producers, its poultry sector could contribute significantly to Africa’s goal of increasing domestic protein production and reducing import dependence.
In the previous article we looked at Ghana, and in the next article we zoom in on Mozambique.
