The Minister of Agriculture, Eric Opoku, says the biggest problem facing Ghana’s poultry industry is the lack of a reliable market for farmers.
He explained that increasing chicken production alone will not improve the sector if farmers do not have buyers for their products.
He said the government’s Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme is not only focused on increasing poultry production but also on improving the entire poultry value chain.
This includes processing, packaging, and marketing poultry products so farmers can have a steady and reliable market.
Speaking on the future of the poultry industry after the Nkoko Nkitinkiti project on Friday, July 17, Mr. Opoku said adding value to poultry products is important if the industry is to become more competitive and profitable.
“The objective of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti project is to increase poultry production in Ghana. When we do that, we want to increase the value chain by adding processing so that we look at poultry from the farm until it gets to the table for consumption,” he said.
The Minister noted that simply producing more poultry will not be enough if there are no proper systems to process and sell the products.
“The biggest challenge confronting the poultry business in Ghana is the lack of market. If you are unable to add value, there is no way you can transform the poultry sector. Value addition is key,” the Minister stated.
He said this is why the government has decided to start building the Nkoko Nkitinkiti Poultry Processing Centre in Bechem soon after launching the backyard poultry project.
According to him, the processing centre will give poultry farmers a ready market for their birds, support poultry processing, and help make locally produced chicken more competitive.
Mr. Opoku also encouraged people who receive birds under the Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme to see them as a business investment instead of raising them only for home consumption.
