Baffour Kwadwo Damoah Afari, Sanaahene of Dormaa Traditional Area, has appealed to government to subsidise poultry feed to enable farmers increase production and meet the country’s growing poultry demand.
He said the high cost of feed remained the biggest challenge for local farmers, who currently supply only between 57,000 and 60,000 metric tons of poultry against an estimated national demand of 460,000 metric tons annually.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day maiden poultry business clinic at Dormaa-Ahenkro, jointly organised by the Dormaa Central Municipal Assembly, the Business Resource Centre (BRC), and the Dormaa Poultry Farmers Association, Baffour Afari stressed that about 80 per cent of poultry farmers’ capital went into feeding.
He said this situation, coupled with the importation of cheaper poultry products such as day-old chicks, meat, eggs, and feed supplements from countries including Argentina, Brazil, Poland and Holland, continued to undermine local production.
Other challenges facing the industry, he noted, included poultry diseases, lack of insurance cover for farms, poor farm management practices, and theft of eggs all of which discouraged investment and weakened farmers’ confidence.
“These challenges drive marketing and sales control to the disadvantage of domestic producers,” he said, adding that increased government intervention was necessary to make the sector more attractive and sustainable.
The chief lauded the organisation of the poultry clinic, describing it as timely for retooling farmers with the knowledge and skills needed to reposition the sector.
He urged farmers to take advantage of the Dormaa campus of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), which has a dedicated agriculture department, for technical support and expertise.
Baffour Afari further encouraged poultry farmers to build accurate databases on their businesses to guide decision-making, attract investment, and access government incentives.
“Sharing real data will enable them to benefit from interventions, including subsidies and tax incentives,” he added.
Mr Daniel Sena Tsorme, Head of the BRC, educated participants on the classifications of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), stressing the need for poultry businesses to properly position themselves to attract development assistance.
He said the Center would continue to promote the poultry industry in Dormaa Central by highlighting opportunities, documenting sector activities, and supporting farmers to embrace digital platforms for wider market access.
Mr Tsorme also advised women farmers to secure Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) certification for their egg warehouses and pack houses to meet regulatory standards.
The clinic was attended by traditional leaders, poultry farmers, input dealers, financial institutions, and other stakeholders in the poultry value chain.
