We must prioritize homegrown poultry to reduce Ghana’s import dependence — Dumelo

Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, John Setor Dumelo, says government is committed to promoting local poultry production to help reduce costs and compete with imported products.

He explained that encouraging importers to produce locally and securing more financing for farmers are key strategies the ministry is pursuing to boost the poultry industry.

Speaking at the Citi Business Forum on Thursday, June 19, the Ayawaso West Wuogon MP, who is also a farmer, emphasized the need for financial support from banks to help farmers scale up.

“We want to encourage people to get into poultry. We also want to make sure the cost of production comes down so we can compete with imports,” Mr. Dumelo said.

He continued, “Many ask why we don’t just ban poultry imports. Sometimes, you have to allow the systems to sort themselves out. If we can produce at lower costs, Ghanaians will naturally prefer local poultry over the imported ones.”

Mr. Dumelo also called on financial institutions to take calculated risks by investing in agriculture, particularly poultry farming.

“It’s hard to get financing for farming. We need to encourage financial institutions to take that risk and support farmers to expand,” he said.