Mr. John B Edusei (M) speaking at the Expo
A TWO-DAY international poultry, aquaculture and livestock show (Ghana Expo 2019) has been held in Kumasi with an appeal to stakeholders to heavily invest and modernize poultry and livestock production to meet the growing needs.
John Bewuah Edusei, Executive Director of Chicks & Chicken Limited, who made the appeal, bemoaned that poultry produces just about a per cent of the broiler-chicken consumed in the country.
“We think this is woefully unacceptable so what we are saying is that it is time for government to realise the need,” he said, and urged government to seriously help the poultry farmers to excel.
The event brought together exhibitors from Ghana, Nigeria, Belgium, South Africa, United States, Germany and Morocco. Others were drawn from Italy, Germany, Holland, Turkey, India, Egypt, Kenya and Israel.
John B. Edusei said Ghana has about 1.3 million cattle, three million sheep, 3.5 million goats and 10 million poultry mainly layers, adding that Ghana’s domestic supply of broiler meat represents just about a per cent of its requirements while the remaining 99 per cent representing $375 million is imported.
The businessman who is also the Chief Executive of Pals Africa wondered why Ghana cannot boast of any serious dairy production, but depends on imported milk to produce yoghurt, ice creams and milk.
He announced Pals Africa’s readiness to offer stakeholders in agriculture the platform to connect, interact and learn from industry gurus and also transform the poultry industry to become bigger and better in the coming years.
Victor Oppong Agyei, President of Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers (GNAPF), lamented the poor performance of poultry business in the country.
He, however, thanked the Food and Agriculture Ministry for its intention to ban importation of chicken into the country.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the GNAPF, Boris Baidoo said a programme dubbed, “Poultry and Piggery for Livelihood Improvement in Ghana (PLIG)” would directly fall under government’s “Rearing for Food and Jobs Programme.
It will collaborate with the entire poultry value chain players such as feed millers, input dealers, egg sellers, veterinary services, animal production and others to revive the ‘ailing industry’ in Ashanti Region and Ghana as a whole.
FROM James Quansah, Kumasi