Techiman: Mr John Dumelo, the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, has presented 110,000 birds to be distributed to farmers under the government flagship 'Nkoko Nketenkete' initiative in the Bono East Region. The beneficiary poultry farmers are spread across the 11 politically administrative Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the region.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr Dumelo stated that the government would also provide about 48,833 feeds, 63,000 antibiotics, and 44,000 glucose to take care of the birds. Speaking at a ceremony in Techiman, the regional capital, the Deputy Minister said each of the Assemblies was to receive and distribute 10,000 birds and asked the various MMDAs in the region to monitor the birds for the nation to derive the optimum benefits. He emphasized the government's dedication to reviving and boosting the nation's poultry industry to reduce the annual imports of chicken and create employment opportunities.
Mr Dumelo added that the government would soon provide farmers with subsidized fertilizer, seedlings, and other farm inputs under the implementation of the Feed Ghana programme. He advised the beneficiaries of the 'Nkoko Nketenkete' initiative to take good care of the birds. Mr Francis Owusu Antwi, the Bono East Regional Minister, lauded the 'Nkoko Nketenkete' initiative and expressed hope that the farmers would leverage the support to help the government achieve its vision for the poultry sector. He noted that the initiative had the potential to lessen the economic burden on the people and directed the personnel of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to intensify monitoring and supervision of the birds.