By Grace Zigah
Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has urged beneficiaries of the government’s flagship Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme to resist the temptation of consuming all the chickens they receive, stressing that the initiative is designed to create sustainable businesses rather than provide short-term food for households.
The Minister said while beneficiaries are expected to use some of the birds for family consumption, the larger goal of the GHC245 million programme is to help participants expand their poultry farms, generate income and contribute to the efforts to reduce its dependence on imported poultry products.
Speaking on “The Future of Poultry Beyond Nkoko Nkitinkiti” on Friday, July 17, Opoku reminded beneficiaries that the birds should be viewed as business capital capable of multiplying into thriving poultry enterprises.
According to him, the government’s vision extends beyond distributing birds to households and focuses on building a strong local poultry industry capable of creating jobs, boosting food security and supporting economic growth.
“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 once you have it. So consume some, but don’t consume everything. See it as a business and as seed that can help you expand your poultry enterprise,” the Minister advised.
He humorously added that poultry is reared for a purpose, asking, “What are birds raised for? Are they clocks to be fixed on the wall for people to look at?”
Opoku explained that the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative forms part of the Mahama administration’s broader agricultural transformation agenda aimed at reviving the struggling poultry sector and increasing domestic chicken production.
For decades, Ghana has relied heavily on imported frozen chicken, with industry players warning that the influx of cheaper imports has weakened local poultry production and forced many farmers out of business.
Successive governments have introduced interventions to revive the industry, but the current administration believes expanding backyard poultry farming can significantly increase local production while creating additional income for households.
The Minister said government is not only interested in increasing the number of birds produced but is also investing across the entire poultry value chain, including processing, marketing and value addition.
He identified the lack of reliable markets as one of the biggest challenges confronting poultry farmers, noting that many producers struggle to sell their birds at profitable prices.
To address this challenge, government has commenced the establishment of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti Poultry Processing Centre at Bechem.
According to Opoku, the processing facility will provide poultry farmers with a ready market for their birds, promote value addition and improve the competitiveness of locally produced poultry products.
He explained that the facility is expected to strengthen the poultry supply chain by ensuring that birds produced under the programme are processed efficiently before reaching consumers.
The Minister expressed confidence that combining backyard poultry production with modern processing infrastructure would help transform the sector and reduce Ghana’s huge poultry import bill.
