Ghanaians are being encouraged to consume more locally produced chicken to help grow the country’s poultry industry and support the Government’s flagship “Nkoko Nketenkete” initiative under the Feed Ghana Programme.
Bright Demordzi, National Coordinator of the Feed Ghana Programme, said increased patronage of locally raised poultry would create jobs, improve livelihoods and contribute significantly to economic growth.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, Mr Demordzi noted that chicken produced by local farmers is often fresher and healthier because, unlike some imported products, it is not kept in storage for extended periods before reaching consumers.
He recalled that President John Dramani Mahama launched the “Nkoko Nketenkete” initiative in Kumasi as part of efforts to revive the poultry sector and reduce Ghana’s heavy reliance on imported chicken.
According to him, the programme is designed to create employment opportunities, increase household incomes — particularly in rural communities — and strengthen the country’s poultry value chain.
“The success of the programme will depend largely on the readiness of Ghanaians to patronise locally produced chicken,” he stated.
Mr Demordzi also raised concerns about the quality of some imported poultry products, warning that prolonged storage before shipment could affect their wholesomeness. He therefore urged consumers to support local farmers by choosing fresh Ghanaian chicken.
He described Ghana’s growing expenditure on poultry imports as unsustainable, noting that millions of dollars leave the country annually to meet local demand.
Under the initiative, nearly 60,000 households across the country have received about three million birds, along with feed support and technical training aimed at improving productivity.
Mr Demordzi said the programme would help strengthen the entire poultry industry, from production and processing to marketing, while also attracting investment into the sector.
He further appealed to traditional leaders to support the initiative to ensure its long-term success.
A beneficiary of the programme, Mr Ernest Mensah of Sewuah near Kumasi, praised the Government for the intervention and encouraged fellow beneficiaries to make good use of the opportunity to improve their living conditions.
Some stakeholders also called for better marketing systems, improved cold storage facilities and competitive pricing to make locally produced poultry more appealing to consumers.
They stressed the need for a collective national effort to support the initiative, saying greater patronage of local chicken would help reduce import costs, strengthen the economy and improve food security.