AgDevCo is investing US$375,000 into Ghana-based Gee’s Fresh Point (Gee’s), a slaughterer, processor and marketer of frozen specialty meat
The UK-based agribusiness project developer will support the upgrading and partial mechanisation of Gee’s processing line, a new cold storage and refrigeration truck, and the installation of a rendering plant to convert waste from the processing line into animal feed for sale.
Gee’s purchases guinea fowl from small-scale farmers based in northern Ghana. After the increase in processing capacity, the company is expected to be able to purchase birds from about 1,500 small-scale farmers by 2019, valued at about US$2.4mn annually.
Yasser Toor, AgDevCo’s director for West Africa, said, “We believe that by helping socially responsible organisations like Gee’s, AgDevCo can contribute to build additional processing capacity in northern Ghana and help increase incomes for thousands of small-scale farmers.”
Gee’s is currently the largest private guinea fowl abattoir operator in the northern parts of Ghana. Recognised as a pioneer in the guinea fowl industry, it is the only company that is developing the demand side of the guinea fowl value chain in the country. Through strategic high-traffic retail locations at selected domestic airports and targeted marketing, Gee’s is deepening the market for guinea fowl, particularly in southern Ghana. Its activities are expected to increase the income of small-scale farmers who are engaged in breeding guinea fowl.
Guinea fowl is the most-reared avian sub-species in northern Ghana where it is bred by most rural households. The birds are well-adapted to the local climate and play an important role in the rural economy. Guinea fowl is also leaner than poultry and is considered to offer greater nutritional benefit compared to chicken. Despite this, it currently represents less than 10 per cent of Ghana’s poultry flock and sales.
