In Côte d’Ivoire, the poultry sector is trying to adapt to the continuous rise in the cost of inputs, particularly industrial feed. A sector under pressure, recently marked by controversial fiscal decisions: in December 2025, the introduction of an 18% Value Added Tax on poultry feed sparked strong opposition before being suspended as early as January 2026. In this context of uncertainty, stakeholders in the sector are seeking solutions to preserve their activities. A resilience strategy that illustrates the adaptation efforts of a key sector of the Ivorian economy.
In Côte d’Ivoire, actors in the poultry sector are organizing in response to the soaring cost of industrial feed. After the introduction in December 2025 of an 18% Value Added Tax (VAT) on poultry feed, later suspended in January 2026 following opposition to a fiscal measure considered harmful to the sector, more than 500 farmers were trained in April 2026 in poultry feed production. This initiative, led by the National Association of Small-Scale Poultry Farmers, comes in a particularly strained economic context.
Poultry feed accounts for more than 70% of costs and at the end of 2025, the government removed the exemption that made it possible to obtain feed at affordable prices. After this removal, production costs surged. Buying from industrial suppliers is becoming increasingly difficult. We are therefore attending this training to learn how to produce our own feed, in order to reduce feed costs.
Victor Kouassi, President of ANAM
For several years, the gradual removal of tax exemptions on raw materials has contributed to a sustained increase in production costs. As a result, the sector has been weakened, with many farmers forced to scale down or even abandon their activities. Today, producing a chicken costs on average 2,400 CFA francs, a level considered too high to remain competitive against imports. Faced with this reality, poultry farmers are changing their strategy. The goal is to gain autonomy by producing their own feed.
We have three major challenges ahead of us: first, to solve the problem of poultry feed, which is too expensive; second, the price of day-old chicks, which is now very high. Not only is the price high, but chicks are also difficult to find. So how do we organize ourselves to have our own locally produced chicks, how do we find solutions to set up farms to produce our own chicks and reduce costs? “Finally, how can we organize marketing and find outlets to sell our products?
Victor Kouassi, President of ANAM
For the initiators, this approach not only helps reduce costs but also allows better control of poultry feed quality and optimizes poultry growth. In the long term, professionals hope to bring production costs down to between 1,500 and 1,600 CFA francs.Beyond the training, a broader resilience dynamic is being put in place. Farmers, entrepreneurs, and technicians are now relying on local innovation and skills sharing to revive the sector.
