December 16, 2022

Ghana poultry farmers urge government to intervene to save industry

The Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers (GNAPF) have urged the Ghanaian government and other stakeholders to intervene in the country's poultry sector, which has been affected by high cost of inputs and unfair competition from chicken importers, Business Ghana reported.

Victor Oppong Adjei, the association's chairman, said data from the EU showed the country imported 683,709 tonnes of frozen chicken from Brazil, the US, and the EU in 2021, adding that if one bird sells for a dollar, then approximately US$600 million were spent on chicken imports last year.

He appealed to the government, the Council of State, the Ghana International Trade Commission (GITC), and other key stakeholders to act immediately to save the industry.

The poultry industry, which had experienced annual growth of 20% as of 1970, had, according to Adjei, suffered a sharp decline to the point where the nation could hardly produce 1% of its total imports of chicken.

He said that the unfair competition persisted because poultry farmers did not receive the necessary government assistance, in contrast to other nations where exporters benefited from government subsidies.

Adjei said in addition to having high interest rates of 38% to 45%, loans are also frequently given on short terms, while other exporting nations have access to long-term loan facilities with lower interest rates of 5% to 8%.

Frank Agyekum, GITC's executive secretary, said following the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), the commission would uphold its mandate to ensure that local industries benefited from the agreement.

However, he urged trade associations to increase the capacity of their members so that they could benefit from various government initiatives.

-         Business Ghana