Samuel Aborbi, the Greater Accra Callers and Texters Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has called on the government to review its chicken distribution policy and prioritise poultry farmers in the allocation of chicks.
Speaking to Obidehyie Kofi Sekyi on Plan B FM’s Nkosuonsem, Mr Aborbi said the policy, introduced under President John Dramani Mahama and the agricultural sector during the 2024 election period, was aimed at reducing the country’s dependence on imported chicken and strengthening local poultry production.
According to him, the high cost of importing chicken made it necessary for Ghana to develop its own poultry industry so that the country could produce more locally and reduce the volume of imports.
He explained that although the policy was intended to generate national benefits, concerns had emerged over how the chicks were being distributed and managed, prompting the establishment of a committee to address the challenges.
Mr Aborbi said the policy remained beneficial but stressed the need to improve its implementation to ensure that the intended objectives were achieved.
He urged the government to assess the capacity of beneficiaries, including their ability to care for the birds, their housing conditions and the availability of the necessary equipment before allocating chicks to them.
Mr Aborbi further argued that poultry farmers should be prioritised in the distribution because they already have the experience, facilities and equipment required to rear the birds successfully.
He proposed the establishment of a monitoring team to supervise the rearing of the chickens and submit regular reports to the government on the progress of beneficiaries.
According to him, such a system would enable the government to identify capable beneficiaries and ensure that the programme contributes effectively to increasing local poultry production and reducing Ghana’s reliance on imported chicken.
By: Patience Amonoo
Discussion about this post