Editorial: Strengthening poultry value chain to reduce huge import bill

As part of efforts to revitalise the local poultry sector and reduce the country’s dependence on imports, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture will begin distributing poultry to large-scale commercial farmers in June.

This forms part of the broader poultry revitalisation agenda under the ‘Nkoko Nkitinkiti’ programme. The initiative has already been implemented at household level across several parts of the country.

Mr. Kwesi Etu-Bonde, Chief Technical Advisor to the Minister for Food and Agriculture, said the programme’s expansion to commercial farmers had been delayed due to pending financial and procurement approvals.

Government is working to strengthen the entire poultry value chain by encouraging both public and private investment in production and processing. Bondi stressed that the country must significantly expand its poultry processing capacity to meet domestic demand.

Since existing processors cannot meet the national requirement alone, the agriculture specialist noted that the country needs many more processing facilities if it wants to supply the poultry demand.

In fact, the ‘Nkoko Nkitinkiti’ programme represents only one component of a broader poultry revitalisation strategy.

That is why the Chief Executive Officer of Agri-Impact Group Limited, Dr. Daniel Fahene Acquaye, stresses the need for a comprehensive poultry master plan to address critical challenges along the value chain.

The broader strategy also focuses on commercial poultry farmers and small-to-medium scale producers.

Late in 2025, President Mahama launched the Nkoko Nkitinkiti (‘Small Chicken’) initiative which aims to curb the US$400million annual chicken import bill. It focuses on boosting local production through 50 anchor commercial farmers (targetting 4 million birds annually) and supporting 55,000 households with chicks, feed and training.

The plan aims for 55,000 households to produce 1 million birds annually in addition to the 4 million birds from anchor farmers.

This renewed push toward self-sufficiency in poultry production is more than an agricultural ambition; it is a strategic national imperative. More promising is the surge of enthusiasm that has greeted this initiative, particularly following the launch.

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