Asene manso akroso: Mr Edward Ansah, an agripreneur in the Asene Manso Akroso district of the Eastern Region, has appealed to the government to establish a poultry processing plant in the district to address marketing challenges confronting farmers.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr Ansah emphasized that such a facility would provide a ready market for poultry farmers, enhance the value chain, and make poultry farming more attractive to young people. As a participant in the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative through the Asesne Manso Agric Department, Mr Ansah is currently managing 15,000 birds at G.F. Farms in Manso. His selection for the initiative was due to his ongoing efforts in crop production and his capability to produce poultry feed from farm produce.
Mr Ansah, speaking at Manso, highlighted marketing as a significant challenge for poultry farmers in the district. He noted that consumers often prefer processed poultry meat from cold stores, which makes it difficult for farmers to sell live birds. "Marketing is difficult because consumers prefer the already prepared meat at the cold stores to the live chickens," he stated.
He urged the government to establish a poultry processing and distribution facility to create a sustainable market for locally produced poultry. Mr Ansah believes that such a facility would also attract more young individuals to poultry farming and help address unemployment in the region.
Discussing the role of farmers in reducing the country's high broiler import bill, Mr Ansah stressed the importance of investing in poultry processing alongside initiatives to boost local poultry production. "The processing plant should be the major matching investment to recommend for the Government to sustain the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative," he said.
Mr Ansah expressed gratitude to the government for its support of poultry farmers through the Poultry Intensification Scheme, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture under the Feed Ghana Programme, and the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme. He acknowledged that support, including grants for equipment, feed and vaccines, certified seeds, and technical training through seminars and workshops, has improved farmers' operations.
However, he appealed to the government to ensure timely payment of grants to enable beneficiaries to plan effectively and sustain their farming activities. Mr Ansah added that establishing a processing facility in the district would complement government interventions and strengthen the poultry value chain from production to processing and distribution.