The Greater Accra Poultry Farmers Association (GAFA) is concerned that Ghana’s poultry industry will collapse if the government does not address recent challenges quickly.
This comes as poultry farmers across the country currently are faced with scarcity and high cost of maize and other ingredients needed for the industry.
According to Michael Nyarko Ampem, president of the Greater Accra Poultry Farmers Association, the situation is deteriorating by the day. If the challenges are not addressed, he believes the poultry industry will be jeopardized.
Mr Nyarko described the situation as “very bad” in an interview, saying that some farmers were closing down because feeding the birds was difficult. Maize has become prohibitively expensive to obtain.
According to a study on the poultry feed sector in Ghana by the International Food Policy Research Institute, maize accounted for 60 percent of poultry feed. Thus, its availability and price have implications for the profitability and growth potential of the industry.
In June 2020, a 50kg bag of maize was selling for GHS65. Fast Forward to November 2020, the price for the same commodity shot up to GHS100 and in June 2021, the same commodity at the same weight is being sold for GHS130.
Mr. Nyarko suggested that “The way forward is that we are ready to sign MoUs with people or business people who are ready to bring in the maize and make it available for us. This is because the truth is that, the wheat brand is unavailable, and it’s also expensive, so the feed millers should have an MoU. We are not saying that they should give everything to us, but we should have an understanding so that a certain percentage of our consumption is given to us so that when that is given to us then we are sure that we will be in business, and we will go through this crisis very well,’ he said.
Source: myghanadaily
