The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality in the Central Region, Hon. Ismail Zagoon Saeed, has called on beneficiaries of the government’s poultry initiative, 'Nkoko Nketekete', in the municipality to take proper care of the chicks they receive in order to help reduce Ghana’s heavy reliance on imported frozen chicken.
Addressing farmers and youth groups during a distribution exercise of over 9,500 chicks in the municipality's 'Nkoko Nketekete' program, the MCE emphasized that the success of the programme depends largely on how well beneficiaries manage and nurture the chickens to maturity.
The MCE noted that Ghana spends millions of dollars annually importing frozen chicken, a situation he described as unsustainable.
“If we take this programme seriously and raise the chicks properly, we can significantly reduce and eventually eliminate the importation of frozen chicken,” he stated.
He stressed that the 'Nkoko Nketekete' initiative is designed not only to improve food security but also to create jobs and boost local poultry production, thus urged beneficiaries to adhere strictly to best poultry practices.
Madam Victoria Dansowuah Abankwa, Agric Director for KEEA described the chicken as broilers and not layers, and that the municipality received 10,000 poultry birds for the initiative, but in the process, a few of them died but didn't change the fact that the mortality rate was insignificant, compared to the chicken which remained alive.
She elaborated that 200 farmers are to benefit from the poultry initiative in KEEA, among which each farmer will get 45 chickens on the average.
Mr. Justice Amuquandoh, Manager of Maglindoh Sunnyside Farms, the poultry firm which nurtured the distributed broilers from a day-old chicks to the mandatory four (4) weeks matured period for distribution with a weight of 2.5 kg, recounted that only 92 out of the 10,000 day-old chicks received, died during its stay at the farm.
He then advised that applying the right practices on the chicken, will ensure growth of the produce as well as its income generation.
Mr. Eric Essel, the Central Regional Secretary for the Ghana Poultry Farmers Association together with some beneficiaries of the municipality's distribution of the 'Nkoko Nketekete' poultry, emphasized that beneficiaries of the chicken must manager them with care, since it possesses the potency of bringing about development to the individuals.
Some beneficiaries of the program, however, appreciated the government for offering them such job opportunities to also earn a living.
Sompaonline.com//Eric Annan