The Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has presented 110,000 birds to be distributed to farmers under the government flagship ‘Nkoko Nketenkete’ initiative in the Bono East Region.

Beneficiary poultry farmers are spread across the 11 politically administered Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the region.

Mr Dumelo said the government would also provide about 48,833 feeds, 63,000 antibiotics, and 44,000 glucose to care for the birds.

Speaking at a ceremony in Techiman, the regional capital, the Deputy Minister said each of the Assemblies was to receive and distribute 10,000 birds and asked the various MMDAs in the region to monitor the birds to enable the nation to derive optimal benefits.

He said the government remained committed to reviving and strengthening the nation’s poultry industry, reducing annual chicken imports, and creating employment opportunities.

Mr Dumelo said the government would soon provide farmers with subsidised fertiliser, seedlings, and other farm inputs through the implementation of the Feed Ghana programme, and advised beneficiaries of the “Nkoko Nketenkete” initiative to take good care of the birds.

Mr Francis Owusu Antwi, the Bono East Regional Minister, lauded the ‘Nkoko Nketenkete’ initiative and expressed the hope that the farmers would leverage on that support and thereby help the government to achieve its vision for the poultry sector.

He said the initiative had significant potential to reduce the economic burden on the public and directed MoFA personnel to intensify monitoring and supervision of the birds.