The initial group of broiler chickens from the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) under the Ministry of Food & Agriculture (MoFA) is now available for market distribution, according to Osei Owusu Agyeman, the Project Coordinator of FSRP.
He noted that these chickens have reached a maturity of seven weeks, with an average live weight ranging from 2.9 to 3 kilograms, and are prepared for processing into whole chickens and various cut parts for packaging and sale.
“The basic requirement as it stands is for the farmers to leverage this opportunity and invite viable offtakers such as the fast food restaurants and shopping malls to deepen marketing channels for the product,” he said.
He mentioned that one of the core themes of the project is public-private engagement, which promotes the idea that the private sector is more capable of implementing government policy effectively.
“It is for this reason that such offtakers as restaurants and shopping malls are key in providing and stocking the processed poultry for consumers,” Mr. Agyeman reiterated.
Fast-food chains such as KFC and Papaye, among others, require dressed chickens weighing between 1.1 and 1.3 kg, typically achieved at 4 to 5 weeks old with a live weight averaging 1.7 to 2.0 kg.
With the above specifications, FSRP-MoFA said its locally produced poultry meets the requirements, adding: “Consumers can therefore obtain these homegrown, hygienically processed, fresh and nutritious broiler chicken in malls, restaurants and processing facilities”.
These are being run under the ‘FSRP Poultry Intensification Scheme’ which commenced in June this year under the auspices of the Ministry of Food & Agriculture.
Quality control
A monitoring team from the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP), along with officials from the Animal Production Directorate (APD) and the Veterinary Services Department (VSD), visited various poultry farms and processing facilities in the Ashanti Region. The purpose was to ensure compliance with industry standards, including feed quality, vaccinations, bio-security measures, required weights, and general bird health.
The facilities visited included Rockland Farms (producers of Akoko Tasty Chicken), Asamoah and Yamoah Farms (producers of Gold Birds), Darko Farms (producers of Darko Farms Chicken), and Boris B Farms (producers of Boris B Chicken).
Processing
At Rockland Farms, FSRP and MOFA officials witnessed semi-automated processing methods, while Darko Farms and Asamoah & Yamoah Farms took FSRP officials through their fully automated processing methods – including slaughtering, dressing, cutting into parts, packaging, blast-freezing and transportation.
MoFA-FSRP in other regions
The current FSRP Poultry Intensification Scheme has been launched in the Eastern Region (with Fredna Farms), Central Region (with Judahson Farms), and Greater Accra Region (with Pap Farms). Farmers in Bono and other regions are slated to join the scheme next month.
The MOFA-FSRP Poultry Intensification Scheme, funded by the World Bank, operates in phases. Beneficiaries receive input credit, including approximately 160,000 day-old chicks, 180,000 kilograms of feed, and necessary vaccines.
Participants will receive training in modern best practices and climate-smart technologies for the poultry industry. Additionally, they will have access to matching grants for equipment that aids in post-production processing and cold storage.
The scheme aims to produce around two million broiler birds annually, supported by a US$12.5 million World Bank facility. It assists eighteen commercial anchor farmers and their outgrowers nationwide in producing, processing, and marketing two million birds each year for the next three years.
In Ghana, FSRP is implemented by the Ministry of Food & Agriculture, focusing on the intensified production, marketing, and consumption of rice, maize, broiler poultry, soybeans, and tomatoes.