Mr Emmanuel Asante Krobea, Technical Advisor to the Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), has urged executives of the Association of Feed Millers of Ghana (AFMOG) to target zero importation of poultry feeds into the country.

He said the target was achievable when all value chain actors come together and make sure that quality standards were adhered to in their production and target to firstly reduce the importation of feed concentrates by 99 per cent.

Mr Asante Krobea said this when delivering a keynote address at the inauguration of AFMOG in Accra, on the theme; "Enhancing Feed Security through the Sustainable Development of the Animal Feed Industry."

He noted that currently the nation imports about 200,000 metric tonnes of various aspects of the poultry feed into the country, which the millers could take advantage of and produced locally.

He said government had completed 80,000 metric tonnes capacity warehouses across the country each with the capacity 1, 000 metric tonnes which they could take advantage of to store raw materials when prices were low.

"This will ensure the availability of inputs all year round to remain competitive in the feed production market," he said.

Madam Carianne de Boer, Chief of Party, Unite States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Ghana Poultry Project (GPP), said the formation of the group was timely, when several agricultural value chains faced existential challenges triggered by the global coronavirus pandemic of which Ghana was no exception.

She said the livestock industry stood a great chance to benefit from a stronger and more organised feed sector in Ghana, adding that, "It is our hope that AFMOG will build effective advocacy pathways towards an improved enabling environment for Ghana's agricultural sector."

Mr Kwame Tuffour, President, AFMOG said the situation of farmers milling their own feed for farmers is one of the major hurdles in achieving cost efficient poultry and livestock production as well as food safety.

He said the Association would serve as the needed catalyst to coordinate sector firms and allied actors to consolidate the momentum generated over the years.

"The Association will provide the needed platforms for networking of members, as well as advocacy for policies that would advance not only the feed industry, but the poultry and livestock sector as a whole."

The newly inducted executive council of AFMOG are : Mr Kwame Tuffour, Chief Executive Officer, Jokas Feeds as President; Mr Ben Quaye, Vice President; Shaul Hamtzani, General Manager Flour Mills of Ghana Limited, Council Member; Dr Boris Baidoo, CEO Boris Boris B's Farms and Veterinary Suppliers Ghana Limited Company, Council Member.

Other members are: Mr Eric Manteau, Managing Director Agricare, Council Member; Richarde K Tetteh, Board Member Greater Accra Poultry Farmers Association (GAPFA), Council Member; Dr Charles Boateng Executive Secretary AFMOG and Madam Dora Devine, Treasurer.