The Northern Poultry Farmers Association has bemoaned the high cost of feed for poultry farming.

Addressing a press conference in Tamale, Chairman of the Association, George Dassah said within a year the cost of maize has almost tripled.

He noted that a year ago, 100kg of maize was sold at GH¢130 but currently, the prices range from GH¢320 to GH¢350.

”Is it not curious that the Planting for Food and Jobs was successful, maize farmers had increased yield, yet poultry farmers find it difficult to get the commodity, that occasioned the issuing of permit by government through the Ministry of Agriculture to import 60,000mt of yellow maize," he quizzed.

He also questioned government's decision to allow persons from neighbouring countries to come into the country and buy a significant amount of maize under the guise of ECOWAS protocol, trade liberalisation and the quest for foreign exchange when poultry farmers needed maize.

He said poultry farmers have resulted in selling some of their birds to generate enough money to purchase feed to feed the remaining poultry.

Mr. Dassah stated that the poultry industry cannot take its rightful place in contributing meaningfully to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) unless a pragmatic policy framework is put in place.

To give farmers some sort of relief, he called on persons in the egg business not to rescind the Association's decision to increase the price of a crate of eggs from GH¢18 to GH¢24.

“We want to call on our major stakeholders – egg sellers and consumers to reason with us and come to terms with our call to increase egg prices,” he said

Mr Dassah also accused the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto of sabotaging the poultry industry and also called on President Akufo-Addo to relieve Mr. Afriyie Akoto of his duties.

"One does not need rocket science to know that our honourable minister does not have the poultry sector at heart," he said.