The successful implementation of the first phase of the government's flagship Nkoko Nkitinkiti Programme has set the stage for the rollout of its second and more transformative phase—the commercialisation of Ghana's poultry industry, Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku has said.
Speaking to journalists after briefing Parliament on the progress of the programme, the Minister described the household and domestic poultry production phase as highly successful, saying the overwhelming response and encouraging outcomes had given the government every confidence to expand the initiative into large-scale commercial production.
According to Mr Opoku, the success recorded under the domestic production phase demonstrates that the policy is not merely an agricultural intervention but a practical blueprint for rebuilding Ghana's poultry industry from the grassroots upward. He noted that the programme is gradually laying the foundation for a self-sustaining poultry sector capable of creating thousands of jobs, improving household nutrition, reducing Ghana's dependence on imported frozen chicken, and conserving millions of dollars in foreign exchange.
However, the Minister also disclosed to Parliament that some beneficiaries had consumed the birds they received instead of rearing them for commercial production. He told Parliament's Assurances Committee that beneficiaries had sent him videos of themselves eating the chicks.
"Some also decided to kill and eat all. In fact, they were even sending me videos that 'we are eating' everything," he said.
He explained that the objective was not to provide poultry for immediate consumption but to help beneficiaries establish sustainable poultry businesses. "We just wanted people to rear them, sell and reinvest so that it becomes business," he explained.
Despite those challenges, Mr Opoku proposed measures to support Members of Parliament to venture into poultry farming under the programme. He revealed that about 67 per cent of Ghanaian MPs are already farmers, making the initiative both practical and impactful.
The Minister said the Ministry is procuring quantities of poultry birds to be distributed to interested MPs. He explained that as a poultry farmer himself, he had invested in the business and was reaping significant benefits, and believed legislators should be stimulated to take up poultry farming as a profitable post-retirement venture.
Members of the Committee welcomed the proposal, describing poultry farming as profitable, with layers producing eggs daily to generate steady income. They also highlighted the multiplier effects of such investments, including job creation, feed production, and rural economic growth.
The initiative forms part of the broader Planting for Food and Jobs agenda, which seeks to modernise Ghana's agriculture and position it as a driver of economic growth.
