Why Ghana Needs Urgent Interventions in the Poultry Sector

The poultry industry in Ghana is at a crossroads. Despite rising demand for chicken and eggs, local farmers continue to face significant challenges that leave the country heavily dependent on imports. Without bold and coordinated interventions, Ghana risks losing one of the most promising pathways to food security, rural employment, and economic resilience.

 

Heavy Dependence on Imports

• Ghana consumes an estimated 324,000 metric tons of chicken meat annually, but produces less than 15,000 metric tons locally, representing under 5% self-sufficiency.

• Imports account for nearly 270,000 metric tons, mostly frozen chicken from Europe, the U.S., and Brazil.

• This dependency drains foreign exchange and undermines the competitiveness of local farmers.

Feed Costs: The Silent Killer

• Feed makes up 60–70% of poultry production costs, with maize alone forming 50–60% of the ration.

• Price volatility in maize and soy drives up production costs, squeezing already thin farmer margins.

• Without feed optimization strategies or affordable input linkages, farmers struggle to scale or stay profitable.

Disease Burden and Weak Veterinary Access

• Preventable diseases like Coccidiosis, Newcastle Disease, and Gumboro are still widespread.

• The Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) is overstretched, leaving smallholders with limited access to vaccination and expert guidance.

• Many farmers miss vaccination schedules or rely on informal, inconsistent service providers, leading to avoidable mortality.

Poor Market Linkages and Liquidity Constraints

• Farmers often face weak and fragmented market connections for eggs and spent hens.

• Payments are delayed, creating liquidity gaps that limit reinvestment in feed and vaccines.

• Without reliable buyer linkages, many smallholders sell at lower farmgate prices or rely on middlemen.

Credit and Financial Exclusion

• Despite poultry’s economic potential, banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs) consider smallholder poultry farmers high-risk.

• Weak farm records and inconsistent cash flows make loan approvals rare.

• This limits farmers’ ability to expand flocks, invest in quality feed, or upgrade housing and equipment.

Why Interventions Are Needed

1. Food Security – Reducing import dependence by boosting local broiler and egg production.

2. Job Creation – Poultry farming and its value chain (feed, logistics, veterinary, market linkages) can create thousands of jobs for youth and women.

3. Economic Growth – A stronger poultry sector retains foreign exchange, stimulates maize and soy value chains, and promotes agribusiness growth.

4. Health & Safety – Locally produced poultry ensures better traceability and food safety standards compared to imported frozen chicken.

Pathways to Solutions

• Feed Optimization: Promote least-cost formulations, alternative ingredients, and linkages to maize aggregators.

• Digital Advisory: Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Short Message Service (SMS) in local languages can close the knowledge gap.

• Vaccination Compliance: Structured schedules with vet support and community agents will reduce preventable losses.

• Market Linkages: Direct Business-to-Business (B2B) connections between farmers, hotels, restaurants, and wholesalers ensure fair pricing.

• Finance Access: Digitized farm records and performance dashboards can de-risk lending for banks and microfinance institutions

Conclusion

The poultry sector in Ghana holds immense promise, but it is trapped by structural barriers that only targeted interventions can dismantle. With coordinated support from government, development partners, and the private sector, Ghana can move towards poultry self-sufficiency.

Investing in poultry is not just about producing more chicken and eggs — it is about creating jobs, strengthening food security, and building a resilient agricultural future for Ghana.