'Ghana is not producing enough soya beans'

A businessman has said Ghana was not producing enough soya bean to feed local companies producing fish and poultry feed although the potential for the enterprise cannot be discounted.

This has led to the importation of soya beans meal which is also contributing to Ghana’s import dependency and foreign exchange flight.


Mr Raanan Bersak, Chief Executive Officer of Raanan Fish Feed West Africa Limited, said this on Wednesday when Madam Sherry Ayitey, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Mrs Benita Sena Okity-Duah, the Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, visited the company in Prampram.


Mr Bersak said his company alone imported about 7,000 metric tonnes of soya bean annually from Brazil to produce 30,000 metric tonnes of fish feed.


He said Raanan produced 10,000 bags of feed daily for local fish farmers and some other countries in West Africa and appealed to farmers to invest in soya bean and maize production.

Mr Bersak said local production could also boost the poultry industry.


Mad Ayitey said the Ministry would collaborate with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Crop Research Institute to identify the soya strain suitable for feed making and encourage farmers to cultivate it on large scale.


She said this would promote the aquaculture and poultry industries as well as create jobs for the youth.