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Assorted meals made from poultry products were showcased at the 4th Ghana Poultry Day to promote indigenous meals that can be prepared with poultry products.
The cuisines, prepared by over 47 chefs from various parts of the country, included fufu and groundnut soup, tuo zaafi, ampesi with chicken sauce, akple and fetri detsi (okra soup), ewokple and fetri detsi, among others.
The event also attracted international chefs who prepared some continental dishes, mainly rice with chicken sauce and jollof, to mark the day in Accra yesterday.
Patrons of the event were treated to free poultry dishes with ‘Kosua ne meko’ (egg with pepper) featuring prominently to the delight of all. Prominent among them included the Deputy Minister of Agriculture in charge of Livestock, Alhaji Hardi Tufeiru; Deputy Minister of Agriculture in charge of Crops, Yaw Frimpong Addo, the 2023 Best Farmer, Charity Akortia, chefs, representatives from the World Food Forum and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Korle Klottey, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, as the chief judge.
The fourth edition on the theme: “Celebrating Diversity and Nutrition: Roast, Taste and Nourish the Nation”, saw a huge patronage of some queenmothers from the Volta, Ashanti, Eastern, Northern and Central regions.
The Agrihouse Foundation introduced the Ghana Poultry Day initiative to promote the consumption and patronage of the country’s poultry sector, raise awareness of the pivotal role played by the poultry industry in areas such as employment generation, food security, and economic growth to help foster a greater appreciation for the sector among stakeholders and the public, and fortify its growth and sustainability.
Data from the Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers (GNAPF) and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency has revealed that there are 40 large-scale commercial poultry farms in the country, mainly located in the Ashanti, Bono and Ahafo regions.
Despite the progress, the country continues to spend close to $254 million on imported poultry, making it the 24th largest importer of poultry in the world.
At the event, Alhaji Hardi Tufeiru said there was huge potential in the poultry industry that the youth could take advantage of. He said the government had developed a plan to close the gap between locally produced poultry products and imported ones to create employment for the people.
He added that people should take up business in poultry as it was a major area with a lot of opportunities, especially for the youth. He disclosed that the gap in the country’s poultry production was huge and that, “We consume 400,000 metric tonnes but produce 60,000 metric tonnes”.
“The government has plans to support anybody who will sign up for our new phase of Planting For Food and Jobs and, especially venture into the poultry business. For those who have graduated and seeking opportunities in life, Agri-business is the key”, he said.
The Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, highlighted the importance of the event and said the Ghana Poultry Day for the past years had helped promote the nutritional and medicinal values of poultry produced in Ghana which had lower toxin levels, reduced fat content and higher Vitamin D.
The event, she said, was to educate the public on the benefits of consuming locally bred poultry, including its anti-cancer properties and lower cholesterol levels.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said the reality was that it was currently cheaper to import poultry products than to produce them locally which had therefore made it a disincentive for people who wanted to enter the business.
She called for more support for persons in the industry to enable them to produce enough to meet the demands of the populace.
