In order to prevent the poultry industry from collapsing, former president John Dramani Mahama has pleaded with the government to act quickly.
The high price of maize, the primary food input that poultry farmers use to feed their birds, is forcing many poultry farmers to shut down, claims Mr Mahama.
The former president expressed concern that the development if left unchecked, would worsen the already challenging economic situation the country is facing because many farmers would be forced to stop during an interview on Moonlite Radio as part of his tour of the country to thank Ghanaians for their votes in the 2020 elections.
“You can ask the Poultry Farmers Association. They will tell you about the support the NDC government provided to them, which helped to grow their poultry industry. However, the state of the poultry industry today is dire. Their primary source of input is corn; they also use vitamins, Keta schoolboys, and other ingredients as feed. Today, however, even corn cannot be purchased. Getting it is difficult, even for your own consumption; imagine how difficult it will be for your chickens.”
“This has forced a lot of farmers to give up on the poultry industry. My brother, who has more than 1,000 birds and has been selling their eggs, has announced that he will soon be selling the birds. He further stated that he won’t get back into the poultry business until he is certain he can provide the birds with the proper care they require.
He claimed that because maize is so expensive, farmers hardly ever turn a profit after selling the eggs or the birds, even after including fish, vitamins, and other ingredients.
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The former president attributed the predicament to the government’s ill-fated Planting for Food and Jobs Programme, explaining that if it had been handled properly, it would have resulted in the maize production required to maintain the poultry industry’s viability.
The NDC 2020 candidate noted that a major contributing factor to the maize shortage is a lack of fertiliser, explaining that the government is responsible for paying the fertiliser suppliers, who consequently did not have the funds to import fertiliser to grow more maize and other agricultural products.
To save the local poultry industry, he, therefore, pleaded with the government to act quickly.
He emphasised that if the industry weren’t protected, the nation would lose foreign exchange, experience a rise in unemployment, and become more dependent on imported chicken to meet its needs.
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