By Francis Kobena Tandoh
President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday launched a nationwide initiative aimed at revitalizing household poultry and the poultry industry, aimed at boosting food self-sufficiency in the garden city of Kumasi, capital of the Ashanti region (province).
Speaking at the launch of the “Nkoko Nkitinkiti,” Mahama expressed worry about the decline of the once vibrant poultry industry in the West African country, citing persistent challenges such as high feed costs, limited access to improved breeds, inadequate processing capacity, and heavy dependence on imports.
He stressed the need for Ghana to reclaim the pride of producing, processing, and consuming what the indigenes grow, as the country cannot continue to spend huge sums of foreign exchange importing poultry products.
“In 2023 alone, Ghana spent over 350 million U.S. dollars importing poultry products. This is a drain on our foreign exchange and a missed opportunity for our farmers and entrepreneurs. We must and we will reverse this trend,” said Mahama.
He described the new initiative as a bold step to foster sustainable livelihoods among vulnerable families and the youth in the West African country.
“This is a national movement, a courageous step towards restoring food self-sufficiency, strengthening household resilience, and fostering sustainable livelihoods for tens of thousands of Ghanaians, especially women, youth, and vulnerable families across our country,” added the Ghanaian leader.
The “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” initiative forms a key part of the poultry industry revitalization program, which is a flagship component of the “Feed Ghana Program,” a national plan designed by the government to drive agricultural transformation, food sovereignty, and shared prosperity.
Under the first component of the program, the poultry farm-to-table project would support 50 anchor farmers selected from across the country with 80,000 birds, housing, logistics, and technical support to produce 4 million birds.
The second component targets some 500 small- and medium-scale poultry farmers in all 16 regions to produce 3 million birds, while the third component targets homes, schools, and communities with birds to go into poultry production. Enditem
Source: Self
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