This year’s farmers’ day exhibition which will be held at Accra Efua Sutherland Park is expected to provide a distinctive and thrilling experience thanks to the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme fsrp this year’s event called the chicken roadshow will provide Ghanaians a chance to try grilled chicken that is hygienically prepared nutritious and raised locally to promote grown-in-ghana poultry products 1000 to 2000 broiler birds would be grilled during the week-long event.
This initiative is part of the broader vision under the Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP) aimed at improving food system resilience in West Africa and promoting self-sufficiency in poultry production in Ghana. The FSRP is a World Bank project operating in conjunction with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA). Through its Poultry Intensification Scheme, the program aims to reduce the country’s dependence on imported poultry products by supporting local poultry farmers. This initiative is expected to create thousands of jobs and enhance the country’s food security.
Mr. Yao Frimpong Addo, the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Crops, emphasized the significance of this project, stating that it will help decrease Ghana’s reliance on imported poultry. He noted that this shift would not only be economically beneficial but also stimulate local industries and generate employment throughout the poultry value chain. Mr. Addo emphasized the alignment of the Grown-in-Ghana Broiler Programme with national efforts to address the impacts of climate change. He encouraged Ghanaians to engage in the FSRP initiative and help achieve the country’s poultry self-sufficiency goals.
The Ghana Poultry Farmers Association’s Ashanti Regional Chair, Dr Boris Baidoo, highlighted the high caliber of locally produced broiler chicken, calling it “Halal” and appropriate for all of the nation’s religious communities. As part of a larger poultry push, he emphasized that his out-grower program is expected to produce up to 200 million healthy broilers in the next two years. The goal of this production capability is to keep millions of dollars in the local economy by drastically lowering Ghana’s dependency on imported frozen chicken. Dr. Baidoo thinks that the World Bank’s financial assistance will be essential to accomplishing this lofty objective.
The FSRP chicken roadshow not only demonstrates Ghana’s ability to become self-sufficient in poultry production but also highlights the government’s collaborative efforts with local farmers and foreign development partners following the farmer’s day exhibition the chicken roadshow will be reproduced in other locations to allow more Ghanaians to sample and support locally produced poultry.
In addition to public engagement through sampling events, the FSRP has allocated significant resources to support the development of the poultry industry in Ghana. As of 2021, imports of chicken and its products into the country exceeded $300 million.
In response, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has set aside $12.5 million in funding from the World Bank to support the Poultry Intensification Scheme over a five-year period. This funding will help commercial anchor farmers and smallholders produce process, and market at least two million broilers annually. It will also provide necessary inputs, including day-old chicks, feed, vaccines, and training in best practices, modern technologies, and climate-smart techniques. Additionally, farmers will have access to matching grants for equipment to support post-production processing and cold storage capabilities, further boosting the growth of the poultry sector.
An important turning point in Ghana’s agricultural development is the Farmer’s Day Exhibition Chicken Road Show which showcases local farmers’ ability to supply the country’s demand for poultry goods the fsrp is helping Ghana create jobs to lessen the nation’s reliance on expensive imports and create a resilient sustainable and economically successful food system by promoting domestic chicken production.
