AMSTERDAM: Netherlands Ambassador however, predicted a potential growth of the country’s local poultry industry in the next few years, due to an increase of six per cent consumption of chicken per year.
But, Mr Strikker expressed discomfort that consumption of chicken had not kept pace with demand in Ghana due to high cost of poultry feed, inadequate processing and inefficient feed management leading to huge imports of frozen chicken.
This, he added has pave the way for large importation of frozen chicken into the country to meet the national demand of 175,000Mt.
Mr Strikker made this known at the opening session of the 2018 Poultry Value Chain Fair (POVAC), underway in Sunyani.
It is being organized by the Ghana Poultry Project (GPP) in collaboration with the Assist Management in Poultry Layer Industry by Feed Improvement and Efficiency Strategy (AMPLIFIES), Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers (GNAPF) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA).
Under the theme “ Employment creation along the poultry value chain: Public private partnership approach”, the two-day event is being attended by aggregators, input suppliers, feed manufacturers, poultry farmers, egg traders and transporters.
Activities lined-up include exhibition and food bazaar.
Mr Strikker noted that chicken continued to remain one of the most important sources of Ghanaian protein, but expressed regret that the current output of most farms in the country was approximately 2.1 million birds.
“The Netherlands is home to some Europe’s most successful poultry meat and egg producers. The country with only 17 million people has 83 million chickens. That is why it is good to do business with the Dutch,” he said.
Dr Gyiele Nurah, Minister of State, Food and Agriculture in-charge of Livestock, said value addition to poultry products was necessary and must be a production reality to push the country’s growth beyond aid agenda.
He stressed government readiness to promote and support strategic investments within the agricultural sector, including poultry industry for its modernization to deliver multiple benefits towards sustainable agriculture development that was inclusive of and empowered the small holder farmer.
Dr Nurah observed that the local poultry sector continued to grow but with minimal participation of local actors, especially in production, saying the total domestic supply of broiler meat was less than 25 per cent at 35,000 tons, whilst imports increased by 14,000 ton to reach 158,000 tons in 2017.
