Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has collaborated with stakeholders to promote the development of the poultry sub-sector in the country
Dr Cyril T Quist, Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of MoFA, said that the sector has the potential to save the country several millions of funds in the area of import substitution.
He further added that the 2017 Ghana Poultry Report by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated local broiler meat production at 35,000 tonnes, representing less than 25 per cent of domestic demand.
That means that there was still more work to do so as to improve local poultry production, he noted.
Dr Quist identified high feed cost as one of the major factors affecting profitability of the poultry sector because that reportedly represents 60 per cent of the production cost.
The government is taking steps to address some of those challenges through its flagship programme in agriculture- Planting for Food and Jobs (PfFJ) and other programmes. The program is aimed at giving Ghanaians, especially young men and women, the knowledge and information to begin identifying for themselves numerous opportunities existing within the local poultry space and to connect with entrepreneurs who could help them to unlock their own growth and income opportunities in agriculture.
“PALS AFRICA 2018 will be offering this trade platform to show how poultry businesses are innovating to overcome constraints in the industry and strike business deals with potential clients all over the world,” he added.
The USDA goals are to increase agriculture productivity in the Poultry Value Chain through capacity building, improving input markets, promoting strategic investments and private-public partnerships. The aim is also to increase the trade of poultry products by improving product quality, increasing production efficiency, improved post production, and improving market linkages.
