Alhaji Mohammed Hardi Tufeirua, a deputy minister of food and agriculture, has reaffirmed the government’s resolve to contribute additional funds to modernizing the poultry sector in order to satisfy consumer demands and export to the West African sub-region.
Alhaji Tufeirua made this statement during the Tema “Akoko Delicious” product launch, which was organized by Labianca Company Limited, a significant local producer of poultry and importer of poultry products, and Rockland Meat Company.
In order to address the growing demand of the Ghanaian people for high-quality poultry products, the Deputy Minister pleaded with the two parties to maintain their relationship and consider hiring more out-grower farmers.
He said the industry has the potential for creating over a million jobs along the value chain, stressing that such an industry should be given priority to sustain its contribution to the economic growth of the country.
Mr Agyei reiterated the need for the country to be self-sufficient and self-reliant, especially in food security, and commended the two companies for the partnership, which would help the poultry industry tremendously.
The CEO of Labianca Corporation, Ms Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh, praised Rockland Farms for its tenacity, amazing fortitude, and readiness to market locally produced broilers.
She asked investors to join the project to improve lives, particularly for women and young people, pointing out that the poultry business had faced significant obstacles in recent years, one of which is the price of feed.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency following the launch, Ms Edith Akorsah Wheatland, Chief Executive Officer of Rockland Company Limited, stated that the collaboration was an attempt to revive the poultry industry in response to concerns raised about the high cost of domestic poultry products.
In order to help the poultry sector and the local economy, she said that the company’s initiatives were empowering women, creating opportunities for young employees, and raising local production.
According to Ms Wheathland, Rockland Meat currently supplies roughly 700 metric tonnes of chicken per day and expects to be able to produce up to 6,000 metric tonnes within its first year of operation. In addition to looking at Ghana’s financial institutions, we are also looking at overseas investors who are heavily focused on market strategies for offtake support.
We are confident that within a year we will be able to achieve our goals because Labianca Company is eager to offtake our produce, she stated. Ghanaians were urged by Ms Wheatland to buy poultry products made in their own country.
She also urged the government to assist in reducing production costs, particularly the price of chicken feed, which is a significant obstacle for companies in the sector.