Afigya Kwabre poultry farmers call for support in agribusiness

Poultry farmers within the Afigya Kwabre municipality have appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to support them with funds in order to boost agribusiness in the district.

According to the farmers, the unavailability of poultry feeds such as wheat, maize, and other nutritious foods that promote poultry businesses are scarce, hence there is a malnutrition of poultry and that retards the growth of birds.

Mr. Kofi Senyah, a poultry farmer told GhanaWeb's correspondent in the Ashanti Region that due to the unavailability of feeds for birds, the veterinary officers have created fear and panic for farmers with the excuse of bird flu making the acquisition of loans very cumbersome.

“In recent times, acquiring loans has become very difficult because the veterinarians have put fear and panic in people with the issue of bird flu. I believe that the unavailability of feeds has led to low production but attributing this situation to bird flu is ill-motivated,” he added.

Mr. Senyah again accused the veterinary department of disservice to the poultry industry and asked that they ensure fairness in their service in order to boost agribusiness.

“It is very unfortunate that the veterinary department is using bird flu to destroy our business. Yes! We know that bird flu is inevitable in the poultry business but it’s a seasonal outbreak, so they should be fair. I am confident that they want to collapse poultry farming in the country so they can import chicken and eggs from outside,” Senya asserted.

Other farmers also appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to provide adequate fertilisers in order to grow more crops for the production of food crops for birds and human consumption.

“There are no fertilisers for farmers to supplement nutrients within the soil for the growth of our crops. Since I have no support in my farming, I’ve stopped and now making ends meet through a tricycle service [Aboboyaa],” a concerned farmer said.

Mr. Senyah concluded that the government and the ministry of food and agriculture should support poultry farming in the country and agribusiness by providing the necessary logistics and training for farmers to boost the agricultural sector in the country.

He however pleaded with the veterinary service department to be fair in their services and also degrade not their activities with bird flu which creates fear and panic within farmers, consumers, and also their financiers.