Mr. Kwabena Darko, proprietor of Darko Farms on Wednesday appealed to the government to facilitate investment in the poultry industry because it has the potential to enhance economic growth and provide jobs for the youth.
Mr. Darko, who said this when Vice President Aliu Mahama visited Darko Farms at Akropong, in the Atwima district said, with the requisite investment, Ghana could earn substantial income from exporting chicken breasts to the United States under the African Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA), to Europe and countries in the sub-region within one year.
He cited Brazil, which, he said, would earn 1.2 billion dollars from poultry exports to the US markets this year.
"We are closer to the United States than Brazil and we have the manpower, infrastructure and technology to deliver", he said.
"What is required is the funds to expand production of both big businesses and that of out growers."
Mr. Darko said, last year, his company lost about 2.5 billion cedis because of the continuous depreciation of the cedi, adding that, other large farms, which suffered similar losses, had gone out of business.
He appealed to the government to support the poultry industry to enable it to thrive.
Darko Farms, which started with 900 birds in 1967, has become the largest in the country, producing about five million-day old chicks, 40 million table eggs, one million units of dressed birds and 30,000 tones of animal feed a year. It employs 270 people.
Alhaji Mahama said the government would pursue programmes that would facilitate the growth of all businesses, irrespective of the political affiliation of their operators.
"Government has no business interfering in the affairs of business people. Its role is to facilitate investment for the growth of the private sector."
Alhaji Mahama said the government would accordingly seek investment opportunities for large-scale poultry farmers, while it supports small-scale operators under the Emergency Social Relief Programme (ESRP).
The government has allocated three billion cedis under the programme to support small-scale poultry farmers to produce chicken at reasonable cost to Ghanaians during the Christmas festivities.
Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, who is chairman of the ESRP committee, said the package would be extended beyond Christmas.
He said government would pursue programmes to reduce inflation to ensure that food prices do not escalate.
The visit to the farm forms part of the Vice President's four-day visit to the Ashanti Region to interact with the chiefs and people to find out their concerns for reshaping of policies and also to inspect the progress of on-going projects.
Mr. Sampson K. Boafo, Regional Minister and Mr. Alex Safo, deputy Minister of Roads and Highways accompanied him.
