Poultry industry in Ghana threatened

  1. Posted on Thursday 2 September 2010 - 11:30
    adomfeh
    Image of adomfeh
    Kofi Adu Domfeh, AfricaNews reporter in Kumasi, Ghana
    Interest groups in poultry and livestock business are looking up to a more rationalized national economic policy that favours indigenous Ghanaian farmers. They are worried the influx of imported poultry products threatens food security and employment generation for the youth.
    bird flu
    Poultry farmers in the Ashanti region have been attending a seminar on “Guides for Better Poultry Management”, jointly organised by Laprovet SAS, a France-based veterinary drug manufacturer and their local representative, Maridav Ghana Limited, leading supplier of animal health and nutrition products.

    According to the Managing Director of Maridav, Ernest Owusu-Afari, “a major challenge to local poultry farmers is the negative effects of the hot climatic conditions of the sub-region. Adverse effects of excessive exposure to high temperatures include excessive panting, poor growth and development of birds and reduced egg production and size, and lower egg shell quality.”

    He believes the capacity-building programme will equip Poultry farmers with proven techniques for efficient and rewarding poultry production, adding the company is committed to supporting farmers improve managerial practices and optimal utilization of resources.

    Later in an interview with Luv Fm, Owusu-Afari noted the unbridled poultry imports are weakening local farmers, whilst the country ‘exports jobs’ to other economies.

    He said there is an urgent necessity to balance the needs of the Ghanaian poultry farmer against the needs of the population at large.

    “Personally it is my opinion that perhaps it is a little short-sighted to open the floodgates to the extent to which we have done over the past couple of decades and in so doing we have weakened the Ghanaian poultry farmer and it’s a source of worry to us”, Owusu-Afari stated.

Latest News

  1. AFCON: 46 hurt in Zambia victory celebrations09/02Over 40 casualty cases were recorded Wednesday night at Zambia's University Teaching Hospital (UTH) after post-match celebrations turned violent …
  2. African Peer Review Mechanism making progress08/02In 2003 the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the continental development plan, initiated the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM…
  3. Combating HIV infections among African women08/02With a lack of knowledge and power, African women continue to bear the brunt of HIV infections.
  4. Legume cultivation booms in Western Kenya07/02Small Holder Farmers (SHFs) who traditionally relied on seed companies for all their seeds are now bulking their own legume seeds for their farms.
  5. Malawi vendors chase out Chinese07/02Vendors in Kalonga, the Northern district of Malawi, on Wednesday petitioned the District Commissioner to flash out all Chinese nationals who are doin…
  6. Zim: Informal sector urged to join HIV battle05/02While the Harare City council is busy engaging in running battles with city vendors, Health Minister has called for authorities to devise ways to form…
  7. Elections: Wole Soyinka warns Mugabe, Wade03/02The Nigerian Nobel Prize winner for literature said heads of states who are trying to cling to power suffer the same fate as the dictators who were sw…
  8. AU elections rescheduled for June in Malawi01/02Following a deadlock during Monday's African Union elections, with a tie between former wife to South African president Jacob Zuma, Home Affairs …
  9. Senegal in turmoil as protest intensifies01/02Hundreds of anti-government protesters Tuesday gathered in the central Dakar, Senegal to show their dissatisfaction over the incumbent president Abdou…
  10. Zimbabwe’s inflation still favourable -…01/02Zimbabwe's annual headline inflation still compared favourably with economies in the region, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono said o…
  11. AFCON 2012: Sudan qualifies after four decades31/01The Sudanese national team has sealed a historic win over the Stallions of Burkina Faso.
  12. Senegalese opposition to intensify protests31/01Opposition and civil society groups in Senegal have vowed to increase their fight against incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade's presidential bid.
  13. Malawi: Rights coalition condemn stripping of…30/01The 39 members of the Solidarity for African Women's Rights Coalition based in 18 African countries have vehemently condemned the stripping of wo…
  14. Kenya to deworm five million children annually30/01Kenya launched the second phase of its national deworming programme at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012, aiming to treat 5 million childre…
  15. Benin’s Yayi Boni is AU’s new…30/01President Yayi Boni of Benin Republic has been elected chairperson of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa
News archive