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HortiFresh launches Mango Cluster Agri input fair to promote quality agri-input within the mango sector at Kintampo and Techiman.

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The missing collaboration link to promote quality agri-input and sustainable services within the mango sector at the two predominant mango producing regions in Ghana thus, Bono East and Bono Regions has been provided with the theme; “Promoting quality Agri-inputs within the Mango sector for a Competitive Domestic and Export market”.

The Programme Manager of HortiFresh, Sheila Assibey-Yeboah explained that under the cluster development fund at HortiFresh, there are some geographical hotspot enclaves for certain commodities which mango is one of them, however, the enclaves Kintampo, Sunyani, Nkoranza, Pamdu, Wenchi, and Techiman are the biggest hub for mango production in the country.

According to her, sustainable partnership for trade promotion is one of HortiFresh’s critical agenda for the mango farmers, input dealers, service providers, financial institutions, processors, etc. therefore, as brokers this programme would create an avenue for the mango sector to thrive.

She called on the farmers and the processors to use the opportunity available to them at the fair to increase their market span.

“The government has promised to transform the agriculture sector from subsistence to agribusiness to promote and improve farmers’ livelihood, therefore, I urged all the farmers gathered here to take mango farming seriously because it is worth more than gold”, the Hon. Municipal Chief Executive Officer at Kintampo North, Hon. Michael Sarkodie Baffoe said.

Hon. Sarkodie added that the Kintampo enclave is blessed with fertile lands and there is nothing growing across the world that cannot be grown at Kintampo but the dissemination of this good information to attract investors into the enclave is lacking making the lands under-utilized.

He reiterated that mango has more revenue as compared to cocoa, however, farmers and all stakeholders in the mango value should be proud for taking such a noble path, “Mango is a fruit crop that has more benefit than cocoa. Comparatively, mango yields more than cocoa although cocoa has been the backbone of Ghana’s economy for decades yet mango is the game-changer for farmers”.

He acknowledges HortiFresh for its supporting systems in the fruit and vegetable sector and called on sponsors and supporting partners to assist in sustaining the programme to help the farmers.

Nana Owusu Gyare, the Akwamuhene of Wenchi Traditional Area took the opportunity and advised the government to plant more mangoes as part of the ‘Green Ghana’ initiative to give Ghana foreign exchange at the shortest possible time instead of planting Mahogany, Wawa and other trees that takes sixty to hundred (60-100) years to mature.

“Bono and Ahafo regions are transitional zones, we can cultivate mango from here to the Northern Region to curtail the effects of the Sahara in the regions”, Nana Owusu Gyare added.

Speaking to Agric Today, Nana said the government supporting mango plantations would be beneficial to the country in terms of protecting the environment, providing foreign exchange, and creating employment to solve the unemployment rate among the youth.

He thanked HortiFresh for creating such synergies to strengthen and creating market accessibility for the stakeholders especially farmers in the mango value chain.

Conforming to the mango’s benefits over cocoa, the Municipal Director of Agric at Kintampo, Simon Yambor revealed that the mango industry employs more people than the cocoa sector. He confirmed that the mango production process involves more value chain actors been from production, processing to the final consumer than the cocoa sector but the sector is sidelined in terms of synergies to produce the rightful niche for farmers to thrive.

“When one talks of mango production in West Africa, Kintampo is likely to be mention first or second. The environment is friendly for mango production, processing, and marketing but the right collaboration between the farmers, input dealers, and the policymakers is missing and I must commend HortiFresh for this great opportunity”, he said.

Mentioning the factors contributing to the low production in the mango value chain, the Municipal Director said pest and disease, lack of access to skilled labour, low level of technical know-how of the farmers, lack of access to credit, lack of simple and affordable tools and or implements and low level of trust between farmers and processors are the key factors hindering the progress of the sector.

The Bono East Regional Director of Agriculture, Mrs. Cecilia Agyemang entreated mango farmers to practice good agronomical practices for the purpose of growing for human consumption, providing good health for consumers and income.

She emphasized that mango production is a serious business that needs serious farmers to venture into it and to attain high production and better income the farmers must embrace the technological approach of farming.

“I am very glad to hear that farmers who obliged and observed the good agricultural practices from HortiFresh were able to harvest ten (10) tons per acre of mangoes as against two tons per acres they were harvesting priorly”, she gladly said.

“HortiFresh’s capacity building has broadened our knowledge-based and improved our mango farming skills in terms of pest and disease control, pruning, harvesting, fertilization and marketing”, the Chairman of Techiman Mango Farmers Association, Nana Kwaw Adams said.

He called on the government to assist in fighting flu fly attacks in mango farming as he did when to tsetse fly some time ago.

He beseeched the farmers to adhere to the teachings at the various sessions and make good use of them to maximize production.

HortiFresh is a programme supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands which has prioritized commercial agriculture in its strategic plan of moving from aid trade. The programme’s mission is to establish a sustainable and internationally competitive fruit and vegetable sector that contributes to inclusive economic growth, food and nutrition security in Ghana and Ivory Coast. The Programme aims to reach 15000 farmers and increase their productivity by 20% by 2021.

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Maintain Ghana’s reputation as leading quality cocoa producer – Agric Minister charges new QCB.

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The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has warned of Ghana missing its place on the international market for premier quality cocoa, should managers of the country’s quality control board, relent on pragmatic steps to sustain, if not improve the quality of cocoa.

Speaking during the swearing-in of a board of directors for the Quality Control Company, a subsidiary of COCOBOD, he said “countries which in terms of volumes do much or better than we are also turning to adopt the method that we are using to improve the quality of their beans. And in recent years, Cote D’Ivoire’s quality has been going up because of the adoption of the practices that we have here in Ghana”

“So you have a huge responsibility to see to the operations of the QCC to ensure competitiveness and improvement”, he stressed.

Chairman of the board, Dr. Ebenezer Owusu, who is a Lecturer & Head of Department of Plant & Environmental Biology, University of Ghana, Legon pledged resolve to improve the quality standards of Cocoa in Ghana.

“Our priority is to ensure that we maintain, if not massively elevate our quality control mechanisms to ensure that our cocoa beans remain top-notch as they have remained,” he stated.

The 5-member board includes the Board Chair, Dr. Ebenezer Owusu – Lecturer & Head of Department of Plant & Environmental Biology, University of Ghana, Legon; Dr. Barima Afranie – Lecturer at the Department of Pharmacy; University of Ghana; S. B. Kangbere, University of Ghana, Legon; Kwaku Oppong – a businessman who is representing the Licensed Buying Cocoa Companies and Julius Mark Kodjo Opoku Martinson, Acting Managing Director of Quality Control.

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PFJ successes nullified by post-harvest-losses – Esoko.

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Work done by commodity price monitoring and agricultural research firm, Esoko has revealed that the gains chalked with the implementation of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) were swept away by the age-old agriculture challenge, Post-Harvest-Loses (PHL).

According to Esoko, for the five years, the government initiative has been implemented, about half of the produce goes waste due to the government’s inability to process or store them. This, it says, is a major contributing factor to food price hikes on the market in recent times.

Content Manager at Esoko, Francis Danso-Adjei in an interview with the B&FT said that the PFJ can be said to be a success but the neglect of other players in the agriculture value chain has nullified its effect on the prices of food on the market.

“If you check Planting for Food and Jobs, they are subsidizing inputs, sometimes the issue is not with the production but with post-production. Last year amidst COVID, we harvested a good amount of food but what happened to the harvest? The cyclical problem of post-harvest losses took all the gains away.

We have been giving farmers incentives to produce for 5-6 years, they have been producing but at the end of the day, half of what they produce goes waste, we do nothing to it, we are not integrating it with the industries. When you check production figures, you will realize that the numbers are rising but along the chain, the others are not getting what they need.”

Buffer Stock
He said the government needs to invest hugely in storage and ensure the expansion of its buffer stock facilities across the country if it is serious about leveraging PFJ to guarantee moderate food prices for a reasonably fair period.

“The nation has not paid much attention to post-harvest systems. We harvest in August, September, and October but by November almost all the commodities we harvested in August cannot be found on the market even though we were not able to consume them all; many of them go to waste.

As a nation we need to take a critical look at the chain and give more attention to the processing and storing of food, it would go a long way to help keep the prices of food commodities on the market stable. Proper warehouses are needed for storage and in the period of shortages, you release them gradually to help keep food prices stable,” he said.

Food security dialogue
He wants a national dialogue on food security to be held, and all players in the value chain are allowed to express their views as to how it can be achieved.

“What are our buffer stocks as a nation? Can we go a whole year without planting, and we will still survive? These are the discussions that are needed now. Finance institutions and technical people need to put their heads together and come up with the best ways to ensure food security. If people are hungry, it would cause chaos and reduce productivity,” he noted.

PHL Data
The nation is said to lose more than one-tenth of its top four bowls of cereal produce to post-harvest losses (PHL) every year due to impediments along the entire value chain. In 2014, the combined losses in rice, maize, millet, and sorghum from the point of harvest to their retail/wholesale points at market centers were estimated at 337,932 tonnes – enough to feed almost one million Ghanaians, according to data on PHL sourced from research publications.

The data is compiled by the Africa Post-Harvest Losses Information System (APHLIS), a private sector initiative that gathers conservative data on PHL in the sub-region from peer-reviewed journals for dissemination. For 2018, the APHLIS data showed that Ghana’s losses from the four bowls of cereal were valued at around US$141.12 million – more than GH¢680.19 million, using that year’s average exchange rate of US$1 to GH¢4.82.

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The President assures cashew farmers of improved pricing for the 2022 farming season.

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President Nana Akufo-Addo has reiterated government’s commitment towards diversifying the Agric sector through the establishment of the Tree Crops Development Authority.

The Authority, he said, is set to provide the needed support to some seven tree crops, including Cashew.

Addressing the chiefs and people of Nkoranza as part of his two-day tour of the Bono East Region, the President assured cashew farmers in the area of government’s resolve to boost the sector by making it “one of Ghana’s number one export crops like cocoa”.

“Cashew development is of much significance to me because there are lots of benefits associated with it, and the Tree Crops Development Authority is now developing various strategies to help shape the Cashew trade,” he said.

“Their work would include production, marketing and grading, just like it is done in the cocoa sector. They’ll replicate same in the cashew industry, and I am closely monitoring their progress,” he added.

The President added, “I am hopeful that by the 2022 Cashew season, we’ll be through with this and cashew farmers here would see some impact in the work of the Authority through its pricing.”

On his part, the Omanhene of the Nkoranza Traditional Council, Nana Kwame Baffoe IV, lauded the President for his contributions towards the development of Agriculture in the area.

He said the new warehouses at Yefri in the Nkoranza North District and Donkoro Nkwanta in the South District would help eliminate post-harvest losses when commissioned.

Nana Kwame Nyarko added, “the people of Nkoranza are predominantly farmers, so the distribution of 100,000 seedlings to cashew farmers and the distribution of free fertilizers have helped ease the hardships farmers have faced over the years”.

He, however, appealed to the Cashew Board to intervene in the pricing of cashew across the country.

He called for the establishment of a cashew juice factory under the 1D1F policy to help utilize the cashew apple, which would help create jobs in the area.

e President assures cashew farmers of improved pricing for the 2022 farming season.

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ECOWAS steps up efforts to make West Africa rice self-sufficient by 2025

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Demand for rice surpasses supply in most West African countries, forcing countries to import to make up for the deficit. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), its Member States, and partners are determined to reverse this unsustainable trend by growing enough rice regionally to feed the expanding population and meet the increasing demand.

Today, the ECOWAS Commission and partners would announce its new Regional Action Plan to implement its rice policy, commonly known as the “Rice Offensive”. An ECOWAP donor round table would follow this hybrid event (virtual and physical) to mobilize the required resources to implement the action plan.

“West Africa currently depends on imports to meet expanding demand. Not only does this deplete the scarce foreign reserves of countries, but it also undermines indigenous capabilities in the production of rice and its value chain,” says Alain Sy Traore, Director of Agriculture at the Directorate of Agriculture at ECOWAS.

What’s the Rice Situation in West Africa?
Rice is one of the primary staple food for most of the 380 million people living in West Africa. Therefore, its sustainable production and transformation are crucial to the food and nutrition security of the region. Other major staples include maize, millet, sorghum, and wheat. The region remains at 60% self-sufficiency in rice production.

While the total rice production in the 15 countries increased from 8.63MT in 2010 to 13.72MT (milled equivalent) in 2019, rice consumption grew by 35%, faster than expected with almost 15.83MT of rice consumed in 2017 alone. Overall, only about 60 percent of it is produced across West Africa the rice yield growth rate of 1.03% per annum does not match the population growth rate of 2.73%. The deficit in the rice supply chain has been met through massive imports from primarily Asian countries.

What is the Rice Offensive?
The Rice Offensive was approved by the Council of Ministers in 2014 and launched in 2015 as a policy response to the unusually high level of imports and the need to ensure food and nutrition security in the region. The goal set by the “Regional Rice Offensive” of the ECOWAS Member States is to reach rice self-sufficiency by 2025, producing the 24 million tons of milled rice that is projected to be consumed in the region.

“The high dependence on rice import, increasing population, mass urbanization and increase in the cost of imported rice in recent times are some of the reasons why we are speeding efforts aimed at the sustainable revival of rice cultivation economy in West Africa,” says Dr. Boladale Adebowale, a staff of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the rice policy advisor for ECOWAS.

Food security and nutrition issues in West Africa are governed by the agriculture policy of ECOWAS, known as ECOWAP. It is the regional blueprint designed to help West Africa achieve zero hunger and boost the agricultural economy. Moreover, ECOWAP contributes to achieving the African Heads of State agricultural ambitions captured in the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Policy (CAADP).

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Taro industry in Ghana bounces thanks to research.

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While the taro industry had collapsed entirely in Ghana, researchers of the Crop Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have succeeded in reviving it by developing new taro varieties that meet the industry’s current challenges.

Those are four new varieties that offer high yields and are incredibly resistant to taro leaf blight —scientifically known as phytophthora colocasia. This is a highly infectious disease responsible for the extinction of the crop.

The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) supported the institute to find solutions to the collapse of the taro industry in Ghana,”

Says Dr. Ernest Baafi, cocoyam and taro breeder at the Crop Research Institute of CSIR.
So, in 2017, after rigorous testing, Ghana’s National Variety Release Committee recommended four taro varieties for government approval.

After this step, the four varieties finally had the country’s Seed Board’s approval to be made available to farmers.

The varieties are currently at the stage of dissemination throughout the country. For that purpose, the CSIR is working in collaboration with government authorities, including the Department of Agriculture.

“We have set up a multiplication field in each municipality, and these fields will help serve the farmers in the municipality,” explains Dr. Baafi.

Farmers have welcomed the varieties and, in some municipalities, the impatience of having them is growing.

“I can’t wait to get the new taro seeds to resume my taro cultivation,” says Mrs. Akosua-Sera, who is also in charge of the seed multiplication field of her municipality located in the suburb of Kumasi.

“I am happy that these new varieties will come and have a higher yield. This will allow me to have good income-generating activity and to take care of my family,” she says.

Flourish logoA Flourish data visualization.
Indeed, the new taro varieties offer a yield that varies between 12 and 25 tons per hectare, while the old one hardly offered five tons per hectare and suffered, helplessly, the assaults of the taro leaf blight.

“We can say today that the taro industry is reviving in Ghana through the WAAPP,” says Dr. Baafi.

The new varieties developed by the CSIR in Ghana can be eaten boiled or cooked; others can be used to make the pastry, chips, etc.

The WAAPP is an initiative of the Economic Community of West African States. It has been funded by the World Bank. Under the technical coordination of CORAF, the initiative started in 2008 and ended in December 2019.

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CRI: Ghana’s contribution to the service of West African Root and Tuber innovation.

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The Kumasi-based Crop Research Institute has one of the best research infrastructures in the region, thanks to the support of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP);

Using cutting-edge technologies provides farmers with crop varieties that meet the current agricultural challenges;

In terms of research focus, roots and tubers are its main fields.
One needs not to look further back than 2008 when several agricultural research institutes across many West African countries were short on critical infrastructure, personnel, and other vital resources to devise cutting-edge technologies.

After almost a decade of strategic investment by most member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), thanks to the largest World Bank R&E investment in the region to date, many of these centers are finally ready to play a catalytical role, not only for the food needs of their national constituencies but also that of West Africans.

In Ghana, through the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP), the Government constructed and equipped the Kumasi-based Crop Research Institute to lead in the development of root & tuber technologies. As a result, today, CRI has a Biotechnology Center of its own with state-of-the-art infrastructure and equipment. This has unleashed the potential of the center to conduct the necessary laboratory work in ways that it would never have been able to only several years ago.

“The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) biotechnology center has been able to establish protocols for the rapid cleaning and multiplication of all the roots and tubers on which we are working,” says Dr. Ruth Prempeh, Head of the CRI’s Biotechnology Center.

“We have the best of equipment. Thanks to WAAPP, we were able to have these facilities which cannot be found anywhere else in Ghana; and they are useful for the whole region,” says Dr. Prempeh.

The tissue culture laboratory is focused on the conservation of genetic material, the rapid multiplication and mass dissemination of healthy and disease-free plants.

“We work closely with plant breeders to improve crops,” says Dr. Prempeh.

The center has an extensive portfolio of farm partners who take the varieties and make them available to the population on a large scale or use them directly.

To avoid cross-contamination and guarantee healthy seeds for farmers, various activities are carried out in different institute laboratories. The institute has four laboratories that complement each other to carry out agricultural research and develop crop varieties that meet the population’s needs. These include the:

Tissue culture laboratory, molecular biology laboratory, biochemistry laboratory, and the virology laboratory.

Within the laboratories, research teams make daily use of cutting-edge technologies such as polymerase chain reaction tests (PCR) and extraction and analysis of deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA). Moreover, the CSIR biotechnology center is today the only center in Ghana that, thanks to WAAPP funding, has a 3730 DNA analyzer, considered one of the best equipment for analyzing and sequencing DNA.

In addition, the RITA® system (temporary immersion bioreactor system) is another technology that the center uses daily. The WAAPP also paid for it. The RITA® system is a technique used for the invitro cultivation of plants.

“Through WAAPP, we have received the RITA® system, allowing the institute to improve mass production of roots and tubers,” says Dr. Prempeh, while specifying that the system has been successfully tested for yam, cassava, sweet potato, and plantain.

“This system increases the multiplication rate compared to conventional tissue culture because it is a liquid medium and nutrients have direct access to the plants to nourish them abundantly.”

Thanks to this set of technological tools, the CSIR conducts research that facilitates the improvement of crops, especially given current challenges such as climate change, resistance to pests and diseases, high yield, etc.

Another great benefit, according to Dr. Prempeh, is mostly in saving time for research. “While for conventional breeding, it will take nearly ten years to find a crop variety, with molecular tools combined with conventional breeding, the number of years of breeding can be reduced from 10 to 6 years,” argues the Kumasi-based expert.

With its equipment, the CSIR now meets international standards and regulations, as evidenced by its ISO/IEC 17025:2005 certification, obtained in 2018.

“Thanks to the ISO accreditation, we were able to enhance the image of the institute,” said Dr. Ruth Prempeh.

A Regional Focus
The CSIR nowadays adopts a regional approach in its strategy, aiming to be and placing itself at the service of other West African countries’ national agricultural research systems. This position will be further strengthened once the biotechnology center puts its 3730 DNA analyzer into use, as it will be working on samples from across the sub-region.

The CSIR hosts the National Center of Excellence (NCoS) on Roots and Tubers, which evolved and became the current Regional Center of Excellence (RCE) on Roots and Tubers. The NCoS and the RCE are one of the major achievements of WAAPP. There are nine centers —seven NCoS and two RCE— located in nine West African countries.

In addition, the CSIR welcomes masters and Ph.D. students from other countries.

The WAAPP is an initiative of the Economic Community of West African States. It has been funded by the World Bank. Under the technical coordination of CORAF, the initiative started in 2008 and ended in December 2019.

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Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire sign a deal to establish a cocoa initiative secretariat in Accra.

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Ghana and Ivory Coast have signed the Headquarters Agreement for the establishment of the Cote D’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative Secretariat in Accra.

The agreement is in line with the fundamental elements of the Charter of the Initiative, which amongst other things stipulates that Ghana provides a permanent place or office for the smooth running of the organisation.

“The grain of mustard seed that was planted in March 2018 by the two countries has grown and is now assuming shape and prominence at the international scene,” Mr. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Chief Executive Officer Ghana Cocoa Board, said at the signing ceremony.

He said the establishment of the secretariat would provide the much-needed coordinated effort to ensure compliance with the dictates of the Living Income Differential, a monumental achievement of the initiative, which seeks to improve the earnings of cocoa farmers in the two countries.

Furthermore, the agreement would support sustainable cocoa production, research, and marketing of cocoa from both countries.

Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Akoto Owusu Afriyie, said the agreement climaxed years of deepened bilateral cooperation to harmonise the interests of the two cocoa-producing nations.

“We shall achieve the ultimate vision of securing a decent income for cocoa farmers in our countries through a commitment to implement pragmatic policies under this agreement,” he stated.

Speaking at the event, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey stated that the agreement will grant Ghana the needed accord for the operation of the organization when it comes to some diplomatic privileges for the secretariat and its staff.

“By this Charter, the Republic of Ghana guarantees absolute diplomatic privileges, support, and protection to the operations of the secretariat of the Cote d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa initiative,” she revealed.

Both countries have settled on the Director of Corporate Affairs for Europe and Africa at Mars Inc, Alex Arnaud Assanavo as the first-ever Executive Secretary of the Cote d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative.

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The dying Poultry Sector: Who is responsible?

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Ghana currently imports over US$ 300 million (about 180,000 mt) worth of chicken annually or the equivalent of 5 million chickens each week. The country’s production equates to about 58,000 mt whereas national demand is about 400,000 mt, reports from the Business Insider.

“There was a decline in both eggs and chicken meat production in 2009 and 2010 and thereafter, increased steadily from 50,895 tonnes in 2011 to 59,653 tonnes in 2017, an increase of 17% within 7 years” it explained.

Commercial poultry production in Ghana can be categorized into large-scale (over 50,000 birds), medium-scale (10,000 to 50,000 birds), and small-scale (less than 10,000 birds), and normally farms are owned by individuals or a family.

According to a report by the Ghana Poultry Project, there are 29 large-scale commercial poultry farms currently in Ghana and mostly found in the Ashanti region (13), Brong Ahafo (12), and the Greater Accra region (4). These form about 20 percent of the total poultry sector, producing mainly eggs.

Most of the commercial poultry farmers produce broiler birds for sale only during the festive seasons (Christmas, Easter, Eid ul Fitr, Eid ul Adha) when Ghanaians buy live chickens.

Currently, there is limited regulation on local hatcheries. The Government of Ghana is yet to pass into law a hatchery bill, which will ensure that quality day-old chicks are produced from domestic hatcheries. Who is responsible?

Feed production
Ghana’s poultry feed industry has shifted to producing layer feed due to the drop-off in domestic broiler production. About 80 percent of feed produced by commercial feed millers is layer feed. Broiler feed is primarily purchased by small-scale backyard poultry producers.

However, there is a seasonal feed demand from the larger producers who raise birds for the festive seasons. Poultry feed accounts for about 70 percent of total animal feed produced in Ghana.

Feed manufacturers in Ghana can be categorized into commercial feed millers and on-farm self-millers.

“Ghana has about 17 commercial feed mills with a total installed operating capacity of 1,000 metric tons (MT) per day. However, most feed millers are only producing at about 40 to 50 percent of their capacity due to low demand from the local poultry industry. The average amount of compound feed produced in Ghana is about 10,000MT annually in the past few years” according to the Ghana Poultry Project

Commercial feed millers supply poultry feed mostly to medium- and small-scale poultry producers because large-scale poultry producers mostly produce their own feed.
Trade
Poultry imports to Ghana keep increasing due to increasing demand and the decline in domestic commercial poultry meat production. Ghana poultry imports are supplied mainly from the United States, Brazil, and the EU.

Institutional Setting.
The Animal Production Directorate (APD) and the Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) have the oversight responsibility of the Poultry sector and other animals/livestock. Whiles APD oversees production issues, VSD takes care of health. Their roles are to ensure effective and efficient implementation of government policies on livestock and poultry. The APD also controls feed quality both from local and imported sources and collects feed samples from commercial feed millers across the country for analysis.

The control and eradication of diseases are done by the Veterinary Services Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture through vaccination and quarantine. Importation of day-old chicks and poultry vaccines to Ghana are also controlled by the Veterinary Services Directorate.

Government Policy or Programs.
To support the local poultry industry, in 2013 the Government of Ghana removed customs duties on poultry inputs such as feed, additives, drugs, and vaccines and has facilitated improved access to veterinary services.

Moreover, on the 15th of July 2014, the Broiler Revitalization Project was launched aiming to stimulate local broiler production. As part of the project, a new poultry and livestock import policy were designed to cut down the country’s importation of chicken meat. The policy limits imports to 60 percent, meaning that importers must buy 40 percent of their produce from local sources. The overall objective of achieving 40% local broiler sourcing and 60% imported broiler meat has not been achieved.

In 2017, the Government of Ghana also launched a flagship program, “Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ)”, aimed at creating food security and produce raw material to feed the agro-processing industries while creating jobs in the process.

According to the Ashanti regional director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the introduction of this program helped the poultry sector to cut down costs and decreased the number of imported feeds in the country; report by Daily Graphic.

On the 25th of June, 2019, the President of Ghana launched the “Rearing for Food and Jobs” campaign aimed at developing a competitive and more efficient livestock industry that will increase domestic production, reduce importation of livestock products, contribute to employment creation, and improve livelihoods of livestock value chain actors.

The government has set an ambitious target to invest in the poultry component of the program as a major step to stop the importation of chicken into the country.

According to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the poultry component of “Rearing for Food and Jobs” is key to the government of Ghana because Ghana cannot continue to import USD 380 million of poultry meat every year when the country exported chicken to her neighbor 20 years ago: report by Daily Graphic.

Donor interventions in the Poultry Sector
Currently, the only donor supporting the Poultry sector in Ghana is the United States Department of Agriculture through the Ghana Poultry Program. It is a five-year (2015- 2020) project being implemented by ACDI/VOCA and Technoserve to expand local production and processing of poultry meat and eggs in Ghana.

The project aims at increasing the competitiveness of the poultry value chain using an inclusive system approach. The target beneficiaries of the project include processors, input suppliers, financial institutions, business service advisors, and buyers. The project’s interventions are in four areas; capacity building, financial services, training, and market access.

Bottlenecks.
Firstly, it’s no longer profitable to produce poultry products in the country because it ends up being highly expensive, whilst imports cost far less. This is because feed costs which constitute about 70% of overall production costs are unreasonably high in Ghana.

Secondly, the cost of other inputs including medication for the birds is unreasonably high.

Thirdly, the high cost of sources of energy is another big problem for local poultry producers.

Lastly, poultry producers struggle to get the market for their produce because imported chickens are cheaper.

Way forward in dealing with the Bottlenecks in the Poultry Sector
I believe that increased government investments in the sector to produce better-quality day-old chicks and other inputs would really help. The Government must subsidize feed, and strengthen processing, and marketing facilities and ensure there is a stable electricity supply at the production centers at lower costs.

Conclusion.
Ghana’s Agricultural Development Bank has announced a GHC500 million (US$ 87 million) loan facility in support of the government’s Broiler Revitalization Programme aimed at increasing the domestic production of chicken.

Dr. John Kofi Mensah, managing director of ADB, says that GHC25 million (US$ 4.3 million) has been approved for the initial phase of the project, which is for 6 broiler value chain players to produce and process over 100,000 birds weekly. Good news? Have the various interventions and that of the GHC500 million (US$ 87 million) loan achieved its intended purpose? How were the disbursements done? Did ADB consider a market for the birds? Are Poultry farmers enjoying a stable electricity supply?, Did ADB consider the high cost of quality blended feeds?, and Did ADB consider the cost of transporting birds?

Who is responsible?

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3 women received awards for contributing to food security in Ghana.

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Three women in Ghana’s agriculture value chain have been awarded by Guzakuza with the support from GIZ to highlight the achievements of exceptional women in the agribusiness industry who have risen above the limit in contributing to the development of agriculture and food security.

Women form the greater percentage in Ghana’s agriculture sector but little acknowledgement is giving to them, however, it is worthwhile to appreciate their effort by awarding them, therefore, GIZ Women in Agribusiness Awards.

At the awarding ceremony, the Project Lead of Guzakuza, Fortune Kyei in an address said the award scheme does not only celebrate the role of women in agriculture but it also aims at making women thrive through market linkage and mentoring programmes.

‘We want women to see agribusiness as an important tool that can change the lives of people and help address economic and social challenges. There is an important agriculture value chain that can help increase job creation. We believe that by awarding women in this sector, it will encourage others to explore the opportunities that are available”, she said.

She added that Guzakuza is poised to assist and acknowledge women in the agribusiness and call on all stakeholders in the value chain to assist in encouraging the women to produce good, healthy and safe food for the nation.

Delivering an address on behalf of the Country Director of GIZ, Detlev Axel Jahn, the Head of Programmes at GIZ said though Ghana should be commended for addressing and reducing gender inequalities, sustainable development cannot be realized if inequalities in the agric sector are not adequately addressed.

“Apart from structural disadvantages like access to finance, land, markets and business management skills, women often have lower confidence level in their abilities as entrepreneurs than their male counterparts, their networks tend to be smaller and less-diverse than men and they are less likely to seek the support of or use their social networks for business growth”, he mentioned.

He commended Guzakuza for their role in supporting women in the sector and pledged the organization’s preparedness to work with them to achieve their shared values.

The award winners lauded Guzakuza for recognizing their effort in the sector and pledged to work hard to contribute their quota for the development of the nation.

The awardees are; Juliana Asante-Dartey, the Executive Director of Agri-Impact Consult, Role Model Excellence Award, whereas Priscilla Nkrumah, the CEO of Achiepee Farms, in Kumasi won the Sustainable Green Innovation Award and Edith Akosah Wheatland, CEO of Rockland Farms and Eco Feeding in Ejura won the ‘Dare to Defy Award.

Guzakuza, founded in 2015 has supported 131 young women from 16 African countries with virtual and residential training, coaching, mentorship, internship, field visit, ready market for the women.

The Organization has over the years developed an ecosystem for women in agribusiness, inspiring them to be profitable, achieve sustainable growth and build resilience agribusiness in Africa with groundbreaking ideas to continuously raise entrepreneurs.

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