The Member of Parliament for Oforikrom, Michael Kwasi Aidoo, has criticised the government’s Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative, describing it as a programme that “failed from the start” and accusing the government of spending more than GH¢200 million without addressing the real challenges facing Ghana’s poultry industry.
His comments come after the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, urged beneficiaries of the programme to treat the birds as a business by selling most of them instead of consuming them.
Speaking in response to the minister’s remarks on Eyewitness News on Friday July 17, Mr Aidoo argued that the objective of the initiative should have been to increase local poultry production and reduce imports rather than stimulate consumption.
“If that is the reason for doing the Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme and spending over GH¢200 million, then I would say the programme is a failure from the start,” he said.
According to him, Ghana’s biggest challenge is not poultry consumption but the country’s heavy dependence on imported chicken.
He noted that Ghana imports about US$600 million worth of poultry every year adding that government interventions should focus on supporting existing poultry farmers and attracting new investors into the sector.
“The issue we have here is that there is too much importation of poultry. Every government is looking at how we can reduce the importation of poultry and increase production locally,” he stated.
Mr Aidoo accused the government of politicising the programme by allegedly distributing birds to supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) through district assemblies.
He claimed the beneficiaries viewed the birds as a reward from the government rather than as a business opportunity, leading many to consume them instead of expanding poultry production.
“The programme that was meant to increase poultry production has now become a programme that is feeding party supporters,” he alleged.
The Oforikrom MP argued that the over GH¢200 million allocated to the initiative could have been used more effectively by establishing a financing scheme for poultry farmers.
He proposed making the funds available through banks as low-interest loans to existing and prospective poultry farmers to help them expand production.
“That amount could have been channelled into supporting existing poultry farmers and identifying new farmers who want to go into the business with well-laid-out plans that can bring results,” he said.
Mr Aidoo also criticised the implementation of the programme, claiming many beneficiaries lacked the technical knowledge to rear poultry and received little or no training or extension support.
He said some beneficiaries were forced to consume the birds after struggling to feed them, while others had no ready market for their produce.
The Minority MP maintained that government resources should be invested in training, financing, technology and infrastructure to strengthen Ghana’s poultry industry instead of distributing birds directly to individuals.
He insisted that such an approach would better position the country to reduce poultry imports, increase local production and build a sustainable poultry sector.
