Commemoration of National Livestock Day: MoFA calls for collaboration in livestock sector

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has called on stakeholders in the livestock industry to deepen collaboration to improve the meat production capacity of the sector for both local consumption and for export. 

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Bryan Acheampong, in a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister in charge of Livestock, Mohammed Hardi Tufeiru, said the growth in the country’s population required increased production of livestock to help meet the meat protein demands of the people.

That, he said, could be achieved by encouraging a good network among stakeholders such as the Ghana National Association of Cattle Farmers (GNACAF), the Animal Science Department, Association of Butchers, Livestock Traders, Fulbe Livestock, the Ghana Cattle Ranching and Transhumance Committee, the Animal Production Directorate of MoFA, and the Ministry of National Security.

“Our population and level of urbanisation is expected to expand; similarly, the demand for animal protein is expanding as well; hence, the need for such bold solutions to secure lives and jobs for the people.

“I urge you all to take advantage of this National Livestock Day to link up because it is only in unity and oneness of mind that actors in the livestock value chain can harness its potential,” Dr Acheampong added.

The speech was read at the celebration of the National Livestock Day, held at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra, yesterday.

The two-day seminar was on the theme: “A thriving livestock industry towards sustainable food and nutrition for economic growth.”

It is being attended by stakeholders who are discussing the contribution of the livestock industry to the economic development of the country, among other issues.

The GNACAF presented some cattle to the nation which would be in the custody of MoFA.
 

Contribution of sector

Dr Acheampong underscored the importance of the livestock sector, saying “it provides jobs, as well as income for many people, especially the rural population.

The minister said in 2021, the sector contributed about 8.3 per cent to the agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP)”.

He affirmed the government’s commitment to improve the fortunes of the industry for sustainable food security and economic growth following investment made in the past eight years through initiatives such as the Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ), which had been incorporated into the Planting for Food and Jobs Phase II (PFJ 2.0), and the Savannah Investment Project (SIP).

Gratitude

For his part, the National President of GNACAF, Imam Hanfi Sonde, expressed gratitude to the government for the continuous support to livestock production, as well as the endorsement of the National Livestock Day which would now be celebrated every year.

He said the sector continued to play a significant role in the economic development of the nation, adding that the livestock industry, especially the cattle sector, provided food, nutrition, security, employment and income for the people.

Mr Sonde, therefore, stressed the need to address challenges in the sub-sector such as “animal health issues, livestock theft, lack of proper data collection for livestock, and the farmer-header conflict which continued to claim lives and property.