Accra, March 17, GNA-Poultry production in Ghana is vital to the agricultural sector, driving economic growth, job creation, and food security.
Background
Despite challenges like high feed costs, disease outbreaks, and competition from imports, the sector offers significant opportunities for innovation and growth through targeted policy support, capacity building, and value chain development.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and various reports from the Ghana Poultry Farmers Association, Ghana imports approximately 150,000 metric tons of poultry products annually.
The value of the imports is often pegged at around $200 million to $300 million per year, depending on market conditions. This reliance on imports puts pressure on local farmers and strains the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
Government’s policy
The government of Ghana aims to reduce dependency on poultry imports by boosting local production through the Nkokɔ Nketenkete Project. This initiative targets 55,000 households to produce eggs and fresh poultry, helping to reduce the $300 million spent annually on imports.
The project offers a significant opportunity to transform Ghana’s poultry industry, enhancing its competitiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.
The success of the Nkokɔ Nketenkete Project will depend on effective implementation. The government must act decisively, invest resources wisely, follow best practices, and prioritize accountability to ensure the project’s success and deliver lasting benefits to the people of Ghana.
While commending this initiative, it is hoped that its implementation would deliver the desired results and avoid the pitfalls of previous poultry projects that failed to generate interest and incurred significant costs to the state.
Recommendations
The ‘Nkokɔ Nketenkete Project’ should draw on the strategies of successful poultry initiatives like the Pullet Outgrower Support Programme (POSP) by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Ghana Poultry Project, and the Pullet Out-grower Project Scheme supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) under the Sustainable Employment through Agribusiness Programme (AgriBiz).
Both were implemented in partnership with Apex Body of Women in Poultry Value Chain (WIPVaC-Apex Ghana). By leveraging insights from these initiatives, the Nkokɔ Nketenkete Project can enhance its success and ensure sustainable growth.
Through the scheme, the Women in Poultry Value Chain Association provided day-old chicks, feed, and vaccines to members, who raised the chicks to the pullet stage.
Beneficiaries could sell or keep the pullets, repaying the cost of the chicks, feed, and vaccines while retaining the profit.
The association used the repayments to purchase new chicks and distribute them to other beneficiaries. Beneficiaries also contribute a token fee to support the association’s operations.
The initial phase of the Pullet Outgrower Support Programme, supported by the USDA, distributed 4,500 layer day-old chicks, feed, and vaccines, with 500 chicks allocated to each beneficiary in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Brong Ahafo regions.
Training
Beneficiaries like in the above project need training. They received training in poultry health, biosecurity, husbandry, accounting, marketing, record-keeping, and egg packaging. Networking and mentoring sessions were also held, attracting many prospective farmers and leading to oversubscription of pullets.
After the success of the initial phase, WIPVaC-Apex Ghana expanded the programme to additional beneficiaries once the first group had sold and repaid their pullets.
To increase coverage, GIZ – AgriBiz supported WIPVaC-Apex Ghana in piloting the Pullet Out-grower Project Scheme in the Greater Accra Region.
“Beneficiaries received 2,000 day-old chicks, along with feed and vaccines for an 18-week production period. A poultry management training session was also conducted to ensure the project’s success”.
Building on the success of the pilot, the Association expanded to the Central Region after beneficiaries raised, sold, and repaid the cost of day-old chicks, feed, and vaccines.
The funds were used to purchase 2,000 new day-old chicks, along with feed and vaccines, which were distributed to a new group of beneficiaries.
Due to the programme’s sustainability, GIZ – AgriBiz provided an additional 4,000 day-old chicks, feed, and vaccines to WIPVaC-Apex Ghana for distribution in the Eastern and Volta Regions.
Beneficiaries of previous husbandry training now serve as trainers in these new regions. Veterinary officers, some of whom are WIPVaC-Apex Ghana patrons, assisted in profiling 30 beneficiary farms to ensure proper biosecurity measures. The programme is expected to expand further to additional beneficiaries.
Adopting programmes like the Pullet Outgrower Support Programme (POSP) or the Pullet Out-grower Project Scheme and working with agribusiness associations such as the Apex Body of Women in Poultry Value Chain offers significant advantages in terms of scale, efficiency, sustainability, and impact.
Agribusiness associations offer a coordinated approach that maximizes resources, enhances project sustainability, and ensures broad distribution of benefits, leading to lasting improvements in the agricultural sector.
By implementing initiatives over a wider geographic area, these associations drive systemic change rather than isolated successes.
Their institutional capacity allows them to manage and sustain projects beyond initial funding, providing ongoing support, technical assistance, and mentorship to ensure long-term success.
By: Henry Cofie Fordi, Founder and Content Manager of Access Agric.
GNA