Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku has urged beneficiaries of the government’s Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative to treat poultry farming as a business by selling most of the birds they rear instead of consuming them.
Speaking on Joy FM’s The Future of Poultry Beyond Nkoko Nkitinkiti on Friday, July 17, the Minister said beneficiaries should use the programme to expand their poultry enterprises and generate sustainable income.
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He acknowledged that some of the birds could be used for household consumption but stressed that the majority should be reared for commercial purposes.
“You have been given the birds, and you are a human being, so you cannot leave them there and go to the market to buy chicken. Eat some, but don’t consume everything. See it as a business and as seed that can help you expand your poultry enterprise,” he said.
Mr. Opoku explained that the primary objective of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative is to increase domestic poultry production and strengthen Ghana’s poultry value chain.
He noted that the government is not only focused on increasing the number of birds but also promoting processing and value addition to ensure poultry products move efficiently from farms to consumers.
The Minister identified access to reliable markets as one of the biggest challenges facing poultry farmers and emphasised the importance of value addition in transforming the sector.
To address the challenge, he announced that the government has begun establishing the Nkoko Nkitinkiti Poultry Processing Centre in Bechem, which is expected to provide a ready market for producers, support processing and improve the competitiveness of Ghana’s poultry industry.
The initiative forms part of the government’s broader strategy to boost local poultry production, encourage the consumption of locally produced chicken and reduce Ghana’s dependence on imported poultry products.
