The Ministry of Food and Agriculture will begin distributing poultry to large-scale commercial farmers in June.
This initiative aims to bolster Ghana’s poultry sector and decrease reliance on imports.
Part of the ‘Nkoko Nkitinkiti’ Programme, the scheme has already launched at the household level. Kwesi Etu-Bonde, Chief Technical Advisor to the Minister, noted that financial and procurement approvals had caused minor delays.
“We wanted to move very fast, but there are authorization and commitment processes that must be completed,” he explained. “Once those are finalised, we expect that by June we will hit the ground running.”
The government is seeking to strengthen the entire value chain through public and private investment. Etu-Bonde highlighted the disadvantage local producers face against cheaper, subsidised imports.
“Every broiler imported into Ghana has been subsidised by the exporting country,” he said. “Meanwhile, our local processors and producers do not receive such subsidies, which makes the competition difficult.”
To address this, the Ministry emphasises a need for increased processing capacity.
“We need many more processing facilities if we want to supply the poultry demand in the country,” Etu-Bonde stated.
Dr (h.c.) Daniel Fahene Acquaye, CEO of Agri-Impact Group Limited, clarified that ‘Nkoko Nkitinkiti’ is only a single element of a wider strategy.
“People often think ‘Nkoko Nkitinkiti’ is the entire poultry revitalisation programme,” he said, adding “But it is only one part. The broader strategy also focuses on commercial poultry farmers and small-to-medium scale producers.”
District authorities are currently compiling data to guide the next phase, which focuses on expanding production and attracting fresh investment into the sector.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
