Ghana’s Food and Agriculture Minister, Eric Opoku, has acknowledged reports that some beneficiaries of a flagship state poultry initiative are killing and eating the birds instead of rearing them for sale.
The “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” Backyard Poultry Project was designed to boost rural economies and reduce the country’s reliance on imported meat. Instead, some participants have opted for an immediate meal.
However, the minister suggested the situation might still offer a silver lining for the domestic agriculture industry.
“Even though we don’t encourage that, because we wanted them to capitalize on this to earn something for their livelihood, if that is what they have decided to do, at the national level in aggregation it also helps,” he said.
Mr Opoku added that if Ghanaians build a taste for locally produced poultry, that is a big plus for us.
The trend comes amid mounting marketing challenges for the farmers involved in the scheme, particularly those operating in the Eastern Region.
Many beneficiaries have reportedly struggled to find buyers once their livestock reached maturity.
“Some of the farmers who benefited called me and said, ‘Honorable, our birds are ready. We are not getting the markets’,” the minister said.
In response to the supply glut, Mr Opoku said the government had intervened by speaking to processors, some of whom had to move vehicles from Accra to the regions to buy the birds.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
