The government is targeting 100 per cent self-sufficiency in chicken production within the next three years, President John Dramani Mahama has indicated.
The President gave this assurance on Friday when he toured the National Service Authority poultry farm in Accra.
The visit was for the President to acquaint himself with the operations of the facility.
“What is happening here is very impressive,” the President said as he defied a downpour to inspect work at the facility.
“I promise to help you to develop this poultry farm into a centre of excellence,” President Mahama assured, adding that the farm would serve as “a production farm, a training farm and a research farm.”
To this end, President Mahama said he has directed the Finance Minister to examine the operations of the facility and identify areas that required government intervention for the growth of the sector.
“It will ensure that the sector receives the necessary financial and policy support,” he stated.
President Mahama announced support initiatives for poultry farmers at all levels of productions; including the provision of day-old chicks.
He announced the much anticipated Nkoko Nkitinkiti project would be rolled out next month to enhance poultry production in the country.
He said there would be incentive initiatives to encourage the youth to venture into the poultry sector to make the country sufficient.
“Large-scale farmers will receive about four million day-old chicks, medium-scale producers three million, while young entrepreneurs and households who sign up will also receive chicks, feed, and vaccination support. Once the chickens are grown, we will buy them back, process them, and supply them to supermarkets and cold stores under the Nkoko Nkitinkiti brand.
“The ultimate goal is to halt the massive importation of poultry products and retain millions of dollars within the local economy. We want you to eat home-grown Ghanaian chickens,” President Mahama stated.
The Director-General of the National Service Secretariat (NSS), Ms Ruth Dela Seddoh, giving the background to the facility said it started in the 1990s with 2,500 birds to its 70,000 birds currently.
According to her, “The National Service Authority carries a sacred mandate: to harness the energy, intellect, and passion of our nation’s youth in service to our motherland.”
As part of measures to address the challenges of the poultry industry, Ms Seddoh said an integrated poultry model to include feed, in-house egg production, broiler processing and packaging.
She appealed for government’s backing for the construction of a state-of-the-art processing facility to boost the NSA’s capacity.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
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