Ghana Poultry Project Update

OVERVIEW

Project Details

GHANA POULTRY PROJECT SUPPORTS WOMEN-LED POULTRY PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES

For nearly a decade, the Ghana poultry sector has contracted due to the decreasing profitability of egg and meat production. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), domestically produced broiler meat has fallen from nearly 60 percent of all poultry consumed in Ghana in 2000 to 20 percent in 2011. At the same time, imports have increased from 13,900 metric tons (MT) to over 155,000 MT. In 2017, Ghana imported a total of over 135,000MT (approx. 112 million birds) of frozen chicken. This demand has not matched local production leading to increases in chicken imports over the last 10 years with huge import bills. Thus, the USDA-sponsored Ghana Poultry Project intends to increase targeted sector commercial performance by building coordination between firms, promoting the adoption of quality standards, strengthening business planning and market-penetration strategies, and reinforcing buyer-supplier linkages.

The Ghana Poultry Project (GPP), funded by USDA and implemented by ACDI/VOCA and TechnoServe, has been established to increase the competitiveness of the domestic production and processing of poultry meat and eggs.

GPP supported the Apex Body of Women In Poultry Value Chain to expand women- led poultry production ventures. The Apex Body of Women In Poultry Value Chain (WIPVaC-Apex) is a registered umbrella Organisation that seeks to bring together all Women along the Poultry Value Chain for common interests. Our goal is to create new opportunities and expand the activities of women along the Poultry Value Chain to stimulate developments for the benefit of society. The Organization includes aggregators of maize and soya, day old chicks suppliers, dealers in Poultry inputs such as fishmeal, concentrates, poultry drugs and feed, Poultry farmers, Egg sellers and Distributors of chicken and Guinea fowl. It is an AU-IBAR (African Union- InterAfrican Bureau of Animal Resource) initiative, and a strategic outcome of the VET-GOV Project.

The Project which was launched in February, 2019, was a sponsored matching grant for the Apex Body of Women In Poultry Value Chain (WIPVaC – Apex) for a Pullet Outgrower Support Programme to produce pullets (16 weeks layers) to members in the scheme and reduce the production risk of raising day-old chick to point of lay as well as increase profitability. The Project was implemented in three (3) beneficiary regions within the country i.e. Greater Accra, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo. It commenced with the acquisition of 4,500 layer day old chicks which was distributed 500 per beneficiary in the three regions. Subsequently, trainings on Poultry Health/Biosecurity, Poultry Husbandry, Group Dynamics and Team Strengthening, Accounting Marketing and Record Keeping as well as Egg Cleaning were organised.

Amidst these trainings were regular Networking and Mentoring sessions to bring on board prospective farmers interested in the poultry business but do not have the technical knowledge for handling the Day Old Chicks from brooding to point of lay, thus several people showed interest and the pullets were over-subscribed.

The flagship of the project was the formation of Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA). The VSLA concept is to equip members with Savings habit to generate their own Capital for business.

The grant through its implementation has given visibility to the Apex Body of Women In Poultry Value Chain and served as membership drive avenue for the Association. The training component of the grant has helped to improve skills of beneficiaries to produce more efficiently, thus increase income and competitiveness.

Beneficiaries are able to keep proper records for profit calculation. The Biosecurity education has helped to reduce risk and improved production, beneficiaries have been well equipped with farm management practices to increase productivity on their farms. The ultimate result is more people subscribing to the product and services, thus creating room for expansion of the industry.