South Africa has announced that it will increase tariffs on poultry imports from the U.S. and Brazil, handing a boost to local producers who have called for fresh measures to counter the dumping of cheap overseas chicken.
Minister of Trade and Industry, Ebrahim Patel agreed to the new levies late last year and the measure will soon be made official.
The industry body applied for increased tariffs on the two countries to counter a flood of shipments sometimes under-priced to dodge import duties, resulting in annual losses of 6.5 billion rand ($436 million) for the local industry.
The country imported 383,000 tons of chicken in 2018, excluding mechanically deboned meat used to make processed food such as sausages, which is about 19% of total supply.
While the South African Poultry Association applied for an increase in tariffs on frozen bone-in chicken pieces to 82% from 37% and on frozen boneless chicken cuts to 82% from 12%, the government will decide on the extent of the charges based on a recommendation from the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa.