The government will release 10 million birds onto the local market before the end of the year as part of measures to stabilise Ghana's poultry sector and reduce dependence on imports, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has announced.
Speaking in a radio interview with Citi FM, Mr Opoku said the ministry was currently managing a large surplus of eggs this year, a situation he noted was likely to extend into 2026. He said the government had introduced a number of interventions to manage the situation and sustain production.
According to the minister, an initial GHC100 million provided to the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) for the purchase of staple grains had been fully utilised. An additional GHC100 million has since been released. He added that field assessments indicated that about GHC500 million may be required to clear the excess harvest and absorb the market supply.
"This is the first time in our history that the Government of Ghana has decided to intervene in the market to procure the essential food buffer for our nation," Mr Opoku said.
He explained that under the Feed Ghana campaign, the Nkoko Nkitinkiti sub-programme is being implemented in three phases. The first phase targets household and backyard poultry keepers, the second supports medium-scale farmers with between 1,000 and 3,000 birds, and the third assists about 50 established commercial producers.
Mr Opoku said the success of the programme had led to mass participation, resulting in a temporary oversupply. He noted that the release of 10 million birds into the market would help sustain production levels and stabilise supply chains.
The minister also announced that a poultry processing centre would be established at Dormaa under a public-private partnership to absorb increased output and expand domestic processing capacity.
"We are establishing, together with the private sector, a poultry processing centre at Dormaa to buy from farmers, process, and make the products available to the market," he said.
He said the ministry was also linking soya-bean and maize producers with local feed processors to support domestic feed production and strengthen raw material supply chains. He added that local hatcheries were being developed with private partners to reduce reliance on imported day-old chicks.
"We are working with the private sector to establish a hatchery. Very soon you will hear about it," he said.
Mr Opoku clarified that under a presidential directive, the Ministry of Education, not NAFCO, would handle the procurement of surplus eggs for the school-feeding programme.
"The President has directed the Ministry of Education to ensure that the glut is cleared. They will determine the agency they will use to procure the eggs," he said.
The minister's remarks come ahead of the expected launch of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative by President John Dramani Mahama later this week in Kumasi. The event will mark the formal rollout of the nationwide poultry acceleration programme from backyard to commercial production.
Mr Opoku said the interventions were designed to protect farmers and sustain agricultural investment.
"If you don't act and we allow this food to go to waste, it is a huge disincentive and people will be discouraged from investing further in agriculture," he said.