'Maboka!' My 10,000 birds poultry farm has collapsed – Former MP cries

A former National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Techiman North constituency, Adjei Mensah, has revealed that he has lost his poultry farm.

The former lawmaker disclosed that he had 10,000 birds as a poultry farmer, but the farm has collapsed without a single bird.

Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 97.5 FM, he said the cost of managing the poultry farm was expensive, and that led to the collapse of the business.

He told host Kwabena Agyapong that he put in a lot of money into establishing the poultry farm but lost everything.

He said the cost of electricity, water, the farm, and other auxiliary facilities were some of the factors that destroyed his business.

“For the past two years, I have collapsed the business because all the structures I put in place brought me debt. The house I built, the light, water, and other costs were unbearable,” he lamented.

He said the feed for the birds is extremely expensive, and the outbreak of COVID-19 worsened the situation.

The maize he lamented was scarce, and the government also failed to show any commitment to addressing the situation.

He said the cost of maize was expensive because the majority of those imported came from Brazil and other countries.

This, he noted, was a major problem for poultry farmers because almost 70 percent of the maize we have is used by poultry farmers.

“You will invest in your poultry business and, at the end of the day, you will lose money.” The money we invested in our poultry business did not produce the intended returns. We keep stressing that agriculture is the backbone of this country, but if the government does not invest, we will not attain the expected results.”

"I am a former MP who invested extensively in poultry farming, but the enterprise failed. What about a young person who is considering starting a poultry farm? This is a sad story for me. Some of us went to university because our parents were farmers. We encourage individuals to get into farming, but is there an enabling atmosphere for them to thrive?”