Augustus Annan, Managing Director of Enapa Farms at Yawhima near Sunyani in the Bono Region, has called on the government to ensure transparency and fairness in the distribution of resources under its poultry intervention initiatives, particularly the “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” programme.
He said although the initiative has the potential to revive Ghana’s poultry sector, its impact would only be meaningful if support reaches genuine farmers actively engaged in production.
“When I first heard about the programme, I was incredibly happy as a farmer because we all thought it was coming to boost the poultry business. But it came, and some of us did not benefit. We are still hopeful that future distributions will be fair,” he told the Ghana News Agency in an interview.
The Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme is designed to support poultry farmers with birds and production inputs to boost local egg and poultry production, reduce imports and create jobs. Government figures indicate that about 720,000 birds were distributed to some 13,000 farmers across 12 districts as of late last year.
Mr Annan, who said his application for the birds was unsuccessful, warned that the intervention risks falling short of its objectives if resources are not properly targeted.
“Sometimes these supports go to people who have no idea about poultry farming. When that happens, they end up selling the birds to those of us already in the business. Government must do due diligence so that the support gets into the right hands,” he said.
He further highlighted broader challenges confronting poultry farmers, including high feed costs, disease outbreaks and inadequate extension services, and urged the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to strengthen veterinary support.
Despite the setbacks, Mr Annan said he remains optimistic about the sector’s prospects and plans to expand his farm to create more jobs, stressing that accessible credit and sustained stakeholder collaboration are crucial to sustaining the industry.
