Good news for poultry farmers

Bryan Acheampong, Ghana’s Minister of Food and Agriculture, has vowed that the country will effectively assist the country’s chicken breeders.

He claims that the government is successfully addressing the issue of the price of maize, which has become a significant setback for poultry producers and is making it challenging to feed birds.

“A bag of maize is sold in Tamale around GHS 350, but due to transportation costs, suppliers sell them for between 650 and 700. The poultry farmers also say they want to buy the maize for GHS450, so we are working to beat the price down.

“So it is either the Ministry will bring the maize to the farmers for them to get at a desirable price or we will call on the private sector to do it,” he said on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen.

In addition to the maize, Mr. Acheampong, the Abetifi MP, said that he has letters from several wheat importers who are willing to provide bran to poultry farmers so that they may feed their birds.

“They have already requested the farms they are to present the wheat bran to and in due course, they will do that, and we will also come out publicly to mention their names and honour them,” he said.

He also added that the government is prepared to provide immunizations to poultry producers.

However, he lamented Ghana’s poor poultry output despite the country’s high demand but expressed optimism that things would improve and noted that investors are prepared to overhaul the industry.

“We consume about 300,000 metric tons of poultry but produce 15,000 metric tons, which is only 4% and are only able to produce a total of 25,000 annually, so the situation is even worse than tomato.

“But we are working to increase that to 75,000 by the end of the year. There is an investor we are taking to promadze by the close of the week to get it back on its feet. Despite and Dr Ofori Sarpong as well as other private individuals have also expressed readiness to venture into large-scale poultry,” he said.