WITHOUT PASSION FOR THE WORK, THEY BECOME NEGLIGENT AND HANDLE IT CARELESSLY," SAYS GEORGE DASAH, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL POULTRY FARMERS ASSOCIATION

The Nkoko Nketenkete Initiative is a government poultry revitalisation programme launched by President John Dramani Mahama under the Feed Ghana Programme. The initiative aims to reduce Ghana's annual chicken import bill of about $300 million by distributing three million chickens to more than 55,000 households while promoting poultry production across all 276 constituencies. Speaking in a phone interview on the Ghana Nti Morning Show with Nana Nhyiraba Kwabena Asirifi, the President of the National Poultry Farmers Association, Mr. George Dasah, said successful poultry farming requires time, financial investment, passion, and technical knowledge. He explained that these are some of the reasons many beneficiary households end up consuming the chickens that were intended for commercial production. According to him, poultry farming does not require an absentee farmer but someone who is fully committed to the business. Mr. Dasah noted that poultry farming is a demanding venture that requires dedication and expertise. He explained that the chicks distributed under the programme were four weeks old and were given to selected backyard farmers and small-scale poultry producers across various districts. The objective of the project is to enable beneficiaries to sell their poultry, earn income, and reinvest the profits to expand their businesses. He further stated that some beneficiaries consume the chickens because they lack genuine passion for poultry farming. He stressed that future phases of the programme should include stricter monitoring and screening to ensure that the same mistakes are not repeated. Mr. Dasah also expressed concern over what he described as inadequate monitoring of the programme. He argued that although the policy is a good one, its implementation has been weak, resulting in the misuse of taxpayers' money. He added that greater attention should also be given to broiler production to help achieve the programme's objectives. In his view, there should be a proper validation process to determine whether beneficiaries have the capacity to manage the birds successfully. He also suggested that the chickens should not be distributed entirely free of charge. Instead, beneficiaries should contribute about 20 to 30 percent of the total cost to encourage responsibility, commitment, and a sense of ownership. According to Mr. Dasah, the initiative was designed to reduce Ghana's dependence on imported chicken. However, he believes that if the current implementation challenges are not addressed, the programme may struggle to achieve that objective. He noted that the current distribution is only the first phase of the project, with a second phase expected to be rolled out in June. Concluding the interview, Mr. Dasah emphasised that marketing is a critical component of the poultry value chain. He called for measures to ensure that locally produced poultry products are readily purchased instead of imported alternatives. He said this would create more employment opportunities for the youth while strengthening the local poultry industry. He also encouraged poultry farmers to reduce the prices of eggs where possible to boost sales and make eggs more affordable for consumers.