Poultry farmers cry out for help as industry nears collapse

The Vice Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers, Napoleon Agyemang Oduro has said the industry needs massive funding and incentives from government to save and sustain the country’s poultry industry. 

Domestically produced broiler meat has fallen from nearly 60 percent of all poultry consumed in Ghana since 2000 to less than 5 percent as at 2020.

At the same time, imports have increased from 13,900 metric tons to over 155,000 metric tons.

This signals the near collapse of the poultry industry in Ghana.

Chief executive officer of Dalex Finance, Ken Thompson, summed up Ghana’s poultry industry as broken.

“Something as simple as poultry, something as simple as egg production, who is now talking about increasing our production”, he chided, and added, “The supply chain is broken. Can you imagine the number of jobs that can be created that way?”

Director of Operations at Dalex Finance, Joe Jackson noted the poultry industry was collapsing at a fast rate and need to be saved.

“The cheapest protein in this country is chicken and we import the chicken. We have to start producing them locally and we have the ability to do that. This solution ensures that not only are we getting jobs for our people, not only are we creating the demand, we are ensuring our food security”, Joe Jackson opined.

According to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana’s poultry meat demand amounts to 400,000 metric tons per year.

Domestic production stands at around 57,870 metric tons.

Ghana imports 300,000 metric tons of chicken annually at a cost of 374 million dollars.

This translates into five million chicken production weekly.

National Vice Chairman of Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers, Napoleon Agyemang Oduro says the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation but he is optimistic of taking advantage of the situation.

“Everything cannot be alright overnight. We need to put ideas together to determine where necessary investments are needed to be able to produce the chicken needs of the country”, he advised. “If policymakers and producers will come together, we think we can tap into the opportunities that avail”.

Meanwhile, the National Broiler Revitalization (GHABROP) for 40 percent import substitution, can best be described as failed because of poor implementation.

The Project was aimed at boosting local capacity in the production, processing and marketing of broiler chicken was launched in Accra.

But Napoleon Agyemang Oduro believes the country’s poultry farmers can supply the nation’s needs as Farmers cry for support to increase paltry 5% local production

“I believe if we come to the table to discuss all these, Ghanaian poultry producers can really fulfill the claim of the 100 percent production of chicken as in the 80s”.

But why have they not been able to scale up production?

The National Vice Chairman of Ghana National Association of poultry farmers observed it was lack of investment.

“There is the need for massive investment through the value chained. We have to do strategic investment into processing because the quantity of chicken we’re talking about. They can’t be hand-fed. We need to use machine and equipment in the process”, he said.

Developing the country’s poultry industry along the poultry value chain will ensure that production farms, input suppliers, hatcheries, feed mills, veterinary service producers, processors, marketers, cold store operators and consumers all play their roles efficiently.

This will ensue self-sufficiency in poultry meat production.

By Eben Agyekum-Boateng | 3news.com

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