The Chief Executive Officer of M.J. Asabil Farms, Mr Moses Jackson Asabil, has appealed to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, to consider investment in poultry farming, which he (Asabil) considers “very vibrant”, since it can help in reducing the unemployment rate among the youth, as well as help the economic growth of the nation.
Mr M.J. Asabil Farms, established in 2019 at Manso Akropong, in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region, is a trusted source for high-quality poultry products such as eggs, live broilers, chicken and organic fertilizers. The farm can boast of over 60,000 birds and approximately 50,000 cages.
But the CEO has raised concern over non-availability of incentives for importation of poultry-related commodities such as feeds.
According to him, the previous government had a policy, which allowed a discount on such imports and stressed that these incentives are no longer in place, hence poultry feeds take 90 percent of operational cost of the industry.
Mr Asabil complained that as a result, a lot of poultry farms are “folding-up because it is no longer profitable”.
Highlighting the challenges faced in the Manso enclave as a poultry farmer, Mr Asabil disclosed that there is inadequate labour due to the illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey, as well as unavailability of land for farming purposes.
“M. J. Asabil Farms, located on a reclaimed land is besieged by mining pits, making expansion difficult to expand the farm”, he said.
He further disclosed that bad road network in the area is a key challenge, noting that drivers tend to avoid plying the Manso stretch, which results in losses due to low patronage of their products.
Mr. Asabil, therefore, urged the government to invest in poultry farming to help reduce the importation of frozen chicken into the country, which is estimated to be over US$ 100 million annually.
“Frozen chicken can be produced locally, if government would support farmers and invest in poultry farming, because we have the capacity and skills”, Mr. Asabil pleaded.
Mr. Asabil also appealed to the Minister for Roads and Highways to consider a budget for the construction of the Manso stretch, to enhance national economic growth.
From Oswald Pius Freiku, Manso-Akropong
