Agrihouse Foundation last week Wednesday launched the third edition of its annual Ghana Chicken Festival, in Accra at the GNAT Hall. The launch brought together various stakeholders who cut across the agric and poultry value chain.
In a welcome address, Executive Director-Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, expressed her gratitude for the overwhelming gathering of stakeholders and partners who continue to rally around the Chicken Festival initiative aimed at promoting the consumption and patronage of local poultry products, and creating sustainable awareness on the nutritional value of poultry products among Ghanaians.
“On behalf of the Agrihouse Foundation Team and myself, I say thank you ever so much,” she said, adding that the team will always tailor its projects and initiatives to meet needs within the sector.
She said the Ghana Chicken Festival idea was born because of the Livestock, Poultry and Fisheries Trade Show (LIPF). “It was in the course of executing the project that we noticed growing challenges faced by Ghana’s poultry farmers, and in response to that situation we arrived at the Ghana Chicken Festival idea, in collaboration with the then USDA Ghana Poultry Project,” she explained.
Underscoring the poultry industry’s relevance, she said the industry is a vital part of Ghana’s economy, providing jobs and income for many Ghanaians – adding that it is time for the country to pay more attention to and recognise the hard work of poultry farmers.
“Our studies show that Ghana can meet its poultry needs if we look inward and gainfully exploit those already-existing potentials in the area. Not only can Ghana sufficiently meet its poultry needs, but this can be done with additional health benefits,” she stressed. Existing research shows that our local poultry possess medicinal values; they have fewer toxins, less fat and a greater amount of Vitamin D. They also possess anti-cancer properties and lower cholesterol levels.
Third Ghana Chicken Festival/Ghana Poultry Day
This year’s event, she noted, has been scheduled for Saturday, July 1, and will take place on the State House forecourt in Accra. While the upcoming edition promises to be improved, she revealed the event has already chalked up a list of tremendous successes through introducing the Festival to the public as a family, educational and interventional initiative; over six-hundred and fifty (650) participants have been educated to appreciate the health and nutritional benefits of our local chicken and poultry products.
Nationally, through the media and pass-on experiences, this event has promoted the medicinal value of our poultry; and the platform has sensitised people on the safety, best practices, nutritional levels and benefits of our locally-bred chicken.
The Festival has fostered knowledge-sharing among industry players and provided a platform for farmers, entrepreneurs and stakeholders to display their products and innovative solutions. The platform has strengthened markets and market linkages for poultry farmers in the country; contributed to the increase in number of local poultry and feed producers; encouraged restaurants in the capital and some parts of the country to rely on local chicken and poultry products for their meals; and exposed families to various healthy chicken food recipes.
“With the launch of this year’s Festival, Agrihouse Foundation hopes to further strengthen the poultry industry in Ghana and encourage more people to support locally-produced poultry products. This is particularly important given the increasing demand for poultry products in Ghana, and growing recognition of the importance of supporting local farmers and businesses,” she said.
This year’s festival, she emphasised, is expected to attract a wide range of participants including farmers, processors, traders, retailers, consumers, government officials and other stakeholders in the poultry industry. It will provide a platform for these stakeholders to share ideas, cook, learn from each other, and explore new opportunities for growth and development in the poultry sector. In addition to promoting local poultry products, the Festival is also expected to contribute in the overall development of Ghana’s agriculture sector. By showcasing the poultry industry’s potential and highlighting challenges faced by farmers and other stakeholders, the Festival will help to generate more support and investment for agriculture in Ghana.
In collaborating with Agrihouse Foundation, Coordinator-Ghana Egg Secretariat, Dr. Comfort Acheampong, announced a proposal urging government to consider institutionalising July 1 of every year as Ghana Poultry Day.
She said it is imperative for government to design policies and join forces with stakeholders to design interventional projects that scale-up the efforts of poultry farmers. She further urged poultry farmers in the country to strengthen collaborations among themselves, encouraging them to mobilise in ways that help them to access credit facilities, improve poultry health management, and provide training and support for farmers and producers.
“The poultry industry is a significant contributor to Ghana’s economy, providing jobs and income for thousands of Ghanaians. The Ghana Chicken Festival will provide an opportunity to showcase the potential of local chicken,” she said.
For his part, Chairman-National Farmers and Fishermen Award Winners Association of Ghana (NFFAWAG), Nene Narh Davies Korboe, called on government to increase support for the poultry industry. He said the poultry sector accounts for about fourteen percent (14%) of the agricultural gross domestic product, providing employment for a significant portion of the population.
“Despite its importance, the poultry industry is facing numerous challenges: including rising feed prices; lack of access to quality inputs; absence of quality local hatcheries and vaccines; and weak links to input suppliers and markets. These challenges ultimately affect the quality of poultry products and the industry’s overall growth,” he said. He urged government to provide more support for the poultry sector, particularly in addressing these challenges and ensuring sustainable growth.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Deputy Minister of livestock, Hon. Mohammed Hardi Tufeiru said: “The efforts of Agrihouse are in tandem with the objective of NPP’s Rearing For Food and Jobs under our flagship interventional programme, Planting For Food and Jobs (now the Enhanced Planting for Food and Jobs), which ultimately seeks to make Ghana food self-sufficient.
“In our current 2023 budget, it is clearly indicated that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, in continuation of implementing Rearing for Food and Jobs, shall procure 2 million broiler day-old chicks and 8,000 improved breeds of pigs for distribution to out-grower poultry and pig farmers,” he said.
He said the supportive efforts of organisations such as the Agrihouse Foundation are encouraging indications that we still have visionary partners to join hands with in pursuit of our goal to make Ghana a food-sufficient nation. “Hence, we can say that a competitive and more efficient livestock industry that reduces our importation of livestock products is possible,” he added.
The Ghana National Poultry Farmers Association (GNPFA) president, Victor Oppong Adjei, emphasised that the poultry industry has potential to drive economic growth and create employment opportunities in the country.
According to him, there is a need to continue promoting the consumption of local chicken to achieve sustainable developmental growth in the poultry sector. He said it is rather unfortunate that the country has been depending on imported frozen chicken for decades, with about 600,000 metric tonnes of chicken imported into the country in 2021.
“This translates to a value of approximately US$600million. This situation has resulted in the exportation of job opportunities – putting pressure on the exchange rate – which could have instead positively impacted the economy,” he added.
He commended Agrihouse Foundation for initiating Ghana Chicken Festival to boost the poultry industry, adding that local chicken is a valuable source of protein – which is necessary for multiple body functions. He therefore called on more stakeholders to support Agrihouse Foundation, thus increasing the patronage of local chicken.
Dr. Boris B. Baidoo, CEO-Boris B Farms, for his part called on Ghanaians to support local poultry farmers and businesses by consuming locally-produced poultry. Speaking at the launch, he highlighted the importance of patronising local poultry and its benefits to both the economy and personal health. “In Ghana, the poultry industry faces a major challenge from low patronage of locally-produced poultry and poultry products. This issue is due to the large influx of imported frozen chicken and parts into the country,” he said.
Dr. Baidoo explained that consuming local poultry is a way to support local businesses and farmers. He noted that local poultry is also healthier, more nutritious, fresh, and contains less fat, which makes it a better option for consumers.
Dr. Baidoo commended Agrihouse Foundation for establishing the Ghana Chicken Festival, which he said has become an important platform for local poultry farmers and businesses to showcase their products and engage with consumers.
For his part, the Kenyan High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Eliphas Barine, called on African researchers and academia to come out with local vaccines to treat chicken-diseases. He said such diseases are collapsing the poultry industry, and that it’s time local scientists found a solution to the menace. Mr. Barine spoke on the theme ‘Kenyan’s Poultry industry: challenges, successes and strategies in building a growth path – learning for Ghana’.
Robert Tuebner, Agricultural Attaché at the US Embassy, in his brief remarks said while the US government has extended support to Ghana’s poultry sector in the past, he notes the US is still committed to ensuring that Ghana gains a level playing field in the poultry sector. He commended Agrihouse Foundation for initiating the Ghana Chicken Festival to support and empower stakeholders in the poultry value chain.
