The European Union (EU) has donated 150,000 fully vaccinated poultry birds, along with feed and essential veterinary medicines, to 3,000 farmers across six districts in the Savannah, Upper East and North East Regions.

The intervention seeks to boost the poultry sector, reduce dependence on imports, improve food and nutrition security, and create jobs, particularly in rural communities.

In all, 15,000 households are expected to benefit from the project.

The support, delivered under the EU Food Security Response Northern Ghana Project, is being implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).

It seeks to complement the government's Feed Ghana Programme.

Ghana currently imports poultry products valued at between $300 million and $400 million annually.

To address the situation, the government and relevant stakeholders step up measures to ensure self-sufficiency in poultry production within three years.

Presenting the birds to the farmers at Gbungu last Thursday, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, said the initiative would go a long way to support  the government’s efforts in increasing local poultry production to cut import costs.

“Our aim is to make poultry products more affordable to Ghanaians, improve food security and provide sustainable income opportunities, especially for rural households,” he said.

He urged the beneficiaries to take proper care of the birds so as to improve their income levels.

Mr Opoku said the government was also establishing farmer service centres across the country to provide mechanisation services, inputs and technical support to farmers.

To address post-harvest losses, he indicated  that the government was constructing food buffer warehouses and maize processing factories to improve storage and value addition.

He added that sufficient fertilisers had also been procured and would be distributed free of charge to farmers this crop season as part of measures to ease their burden and boost productivity.

Sustainability

For his part, the FAO Representative to Ghana, Priya Gujadhur, said beneficiaries had been equipped with practical poultry management and business skills to ensure sustainability.Ghana economic insights

She said: “Empowering farmers to produce their own eggs and chicken promotes both sustainability and practical learning".

She added that in addition to the poultry distribution, beneficiary farmers would receive hatcheries and training support to expand production.

Food security

The Head of Cooperation at EU Delegation in Ghana, Silvia Severi, said empowering smallholder farmers remain crucial for attaining food security in the country.

She indicated that the EU Food Security Response Northern Ghana Project, launched in September 2023 with €10 million in funding, targets more than 50,000 smallholder farmers affected by the Russia–Ukraine conflict and climate variability.

She said so far, over 12,000 farmers have adopted improved agricultural technologies, contributing to increased yields in 2025.

She added that about 500 farmers had also been trained in climate-adapted seed production, resulting in the establishment of 11 seed farms.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Salaga North, Alhassan Mumuni, lauded the MoFA and its partner for the gesture and said it would improve the livelihoods of the people, particularly women.