A flagbearer aspirant of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), Ing Kwabena Agyei Agyepong (KAA), has promised to prioritise the Ghana Poultry Day initiative and expand it as a principal policy plank if he is successful in his bid to ascend to the Presidency of Ghana.
Speaking at the first edition of the Ghana Poultry Day initiative, organised by Agrihouse Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ghana Poultry Farmers Association in Accra recently, KAA emphasised the need for the government to prioritise and, especially, promote the local poultry industry.
He said there was significant potential to expand production of chicken products, as Ghana only currently produces less than 15% of our poultry consumption – a situation he described as tragic for the agricultural industry and the health of Ghanaians.
He called on the Agriculture Ministry to bridge the gap by creating an enabling environment for poultry farming to thrive.
He pointed out that the capital cost, production cost and the cost of feed have to be significantly reduced for poultry farmers to increase production. He encouraged initiatives to produce high-quality feed locally as a key to the success of the local poultry industry. KAA pointed out that a thriving poultry industry value chain will provide massive opportunities for the teeming youth and improve the country’s GDP.
In addition, KAA insisted that local poultry is capable of meeting the nutritional and supply demands of Ghanaians. He called on cold stores and entities in the poultry supply chain to prioritise local poultry products.
Further, he pointed out that local poultry is fresher and, therefore, healthier for people to consume as it doesn’t spend prolonged periods in cold storage before being shipped to Ghana.
Lastly, he entreated Ghanaians to change their mindset on nutrition.
He encouraged Ghanaians to prioritise protein over carbohydrates in our local cuisines. Additionally, he encouraged Ghanaians to adopt healthy eating habits by de-skinning the chicken and focusing on the chicken breast, which is white meat and contains much less fat.
During the event, KAA put on his chef’s hat and whipped up his award-winning KAA Special Chicken Spaghetti recipe using locally produced chicken provided by Boris B Farms.
