The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has revealed that plans are advanced for the takeoff of the government’s poultry project with 4 million birds to be distributed to 50 large-scale poultry farmers.

It is a part of the government's plans to reduce poultry importation and create jobs within the country.

Sector Minister, Eric Opoku, addressing the media in Kumasi, explains, “We have selected fifty people across the country, these are established large-scale farmers. Each of them will be provided 80,000 birds. In all, they will have four million birds.”

He expressed belief in the expertise of the people selected for the rollout of the program.

“These are people with expertise in poultry farming, they will give these birds to their farmers to rear for us. In four months, these birds will be ready, and our imports will reduce,” he added.

An average of 400 thousand tonnes of poultry is consumed annually in the country.

In 2022 alone, 324,000 tonnes of chicken were consumed, with 4.6 percent being produced locally.

In ensuring the country takes advantage of the demand, each of the selected fifty large-scale poultry farmers will be given eighty thousand birds to enhance their production.

After the rollout, another batch of farmers who are identified as medium-scale farmers will be handed between one thousand and three thousand birds to rear for consumption.

Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has indicated farmers will also access machinery for processing.

“We will not go out with the live birds, the farmers will be provided equipment for the processing of the birds,” he added.

Meanwhile, the government’s campaign promise to help households venture into poultry production will also be implemented.

For the ‘Nkoko nkitinkiti’ project, households are being encouraged to make space in their homes for the project.

 Mr. Opoku reveals plans to introduce disease-resistant poultry species on the market.

 “We want to use household poultry farming to increase interest in poultry farming. We will make our officers register persons interested in the domestic poultry farming so we can give the birds and some feed to them,” he added.

The Minister, touring the Ashanti Region, visited the A2 AGRO ALLIED, a poultry feed manufacturer.

The factory which aims at manufacturing feed for the government's poultry program is nearing completion.