The first batch of broiler chickens produced under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) is being processed for market distribution.
The initial batch began processing this week and is part of the FSRP’s efforts to enhance poultry production and resilience.
The monitoring team, including officials from the Animal Production Directorate (APD), the Veterinary Services Department (VSD), and the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP), ensured that the processing adhered to industrial standards, including feed quality, vaccinations, and biosecurity measures.
During a recent visit to beneficiary farms and processing facilities in the Ashanti region, the monitoring team assessed various aspects of the production process, including adherence to required weights and general healthcare of the birds.
The farmers involved in the programme praised the FSRP for reducing production costs and facilitating market access.
Dr. Boris Baidoo, Chairman of the Ashanti Regional Poultry Farmers Association and CEO of Boris B Group of Companies, highlighted the programme’s critical role in reducing costs and called for additional government interventions to support the sector further.
Samuel Darko, Managing Director of Darko Farms, noted that while poultry farmers can produce, market access remains a challenge.
He commended the FSRP’s support in reducing feed and day-old chick costs, which he believes will help farmers penetrate the market.
Edith Wheatland Akorsah, CEO of Rockland Farm, urged the government to reinstate waivers on poultry imports, which she believes are vital for reviving the industry.
She pointed out that without the FSRP, the sector would have faced significant challenges, with about 80 percent of poultry farms potentially collapsing.
The FSRP Poultry Intensification Scheme, funded by the World Bank, provides beneficiary farms with approximately 160,000 day-old chicks, 180,000 kilograms of feed, and vaccines.
The scheme also includes training in modern practices and climate-smart technologies and access to matching grants for post-production processing and cold storage.
Over the next three years, the goal is to produce approximately 2 million broiler birds annually.
The programme supports 18 commercial anchor farmers and their out-growers across the country.
In the Ashanti region alone, six commercial anchor farmers are benefiting, with three farms having received 130,000 day-old chicks, which are now ready for market.
Osei Owusu Agyeman, Project Coordinator of the FSRP, emphasized the importance of building sustainable and resilient businesses within the agricultural value chain to withstand global shocks.
Dr Abdul Razak Okine, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, highlighted the ministry’s target of producing 18 million broiler birds under the PFJ 2.0 initiative, with the FSRP contributing 2 million of these.
Ghana consumes about 300,000 metric tonnes of poultry meat annually, but only 5% is produced locally, and the remainder is imported.
The FSRP aims to address this gap and improve national self-sufficiency in poultry production.
