Poultry farmers reject undocumented policy

…as they push for legally binding plan for the industry   

The Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers (GNAPF) has called on government to urgently formulate a broiler revitalisation policy document to propel growth of the country’s poultry industry.

Two years ago government through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) launched a bold initiative – the Ghana Broiler Revitalisation Project (GHABROP).   

The project spans 10 years and aims at boosting local capacity in the production, processing and marketing of broiler chicken in the once-vibrant poultry production industry.  The project targetted producing 30,000 metric tonnes of broiler meat, with an expected increase to 60,000 metric tonnes by end of 2016.

The Vice Chairman of the GNAPF, Napoleon Agyemang Oduro, told a panel of discussants at a programme funded by the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund that since launching the project there has not been any change in the poultry industry.

This, he attributed to the absence of a documented legal policy to guide existing and potential investors on the modalities of investing in the country’s broiler and general poultry industry.

“The 40 percent import substitution which mandates importers to take 40 percent of their poultry products from farmers in the country is just a word of mouth policy. We do not have a legal document on that.

“As an association we do not have the documented policy, likewise the MoFA and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI). So, our Members of Parliament (MPs) cannot stand on any document to formulate a legal framework for the project to regulate the poultry industry,” Mr. Oduro stated.

He explained that the project, which was launched by the association in partnership with the MoFA last year, could not be operationalised in its current form because “it has not gone through the various processes to become a policy”.

Mr. Oduro explained that absence of the legal framework is derailing efforts of the association to start working toward the national objective of 40 percent broiler import substitution.

He said this is equivalent to the production of 65 million birds locally, which would create employment and improve the socio-economic conditions of poultry farmers in the country. 

He explained that some banks in the country are reluctant to support poultry farmers with loans due to lack of documented policy for the project. 

“As you know, we need financial institutions’ support to enable us revamp the poultry industry. But the absence of a documented policy is affecting that.”

The Director, Logistics and Value Chain at the MoTI-Papa Kow Bartels, has however appealed to members of the GNAPF to come out with bankable projects to attract funding from commercial banks.

He observed that poultry farming is a private-led enterprise, and called on poultry growers to embrace new innovations and technologies to turn the industry around.

According to Mr. Bartels, the GHABROP when supported well by all the stakeholders will also develop the poultry industry along its value chain and ensure that production farms, input suppliers, hatcheries, feed mills, veterinary service producers, processors, marketers/cold stores and consumers all play their roles to ensure self-sufficiency.

Dr. Anthony Akunzule Deputy Director, Veterinary Services of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, indicated that the project initiated by government through the MoFA and MoTI in collaboration with the GNAPF also aims at boosting the local poultry industry.

Currently, the local poultry industry players produce five percent of chicken for the country’s consumption needs while the rest is imported. 

Statistics between 2010 and 2012 indicated that Ghana imported approximately 200,000 metric tonnes of chicken valued at US$200million, which is equivalent to 2.6 million chickens per week.

However apart from the legal framework for the GHABROP project, the removal of import duties on products increases the cost of local poultry production…while poultry feed alone accounts for 70 to 80 percent of production cost.

“You look at Ghana and the main ingredient for poultry production is maize. But human beings compete with the poultry for that maize. 

“Apart from that, our yields from maize farms are very low lately. So we import maize, especially the yellow maize, for poultry and human consumption. These are the factors that contribute to the high cost of poultry production in the country,” Dr. Akunzule emphasised.

Historically, Ghana started commercial poultry production in 1952.  During that period, the country’s poultry industry boomed and contributed tremendously to employment creation, but after its liberalisation in the 1980s the poultry industry nose-dived.

 It is no secret that the industry has lost ground to imported chicken and other poultry products.

The craze for imports is understandable when one takes cognisance of the fact that imported poultry products tend to be 30-40% cheaper than locally produced chicken.