Poultry farmers have been admonished to provide their birds with the right feed to ensure healthy and optimal growth of their birds in order to boost the poultry industry and their incomes.
They have also been encouraged to adhere to best poultry production practices and seek information from relevant institutions to help them improve on their business.
The Deputy Chief of Party of the Assist Management in Poultry Layer Industry by Feed Strategy (AMPLIFIES) Ghana Project, Mr John Asabere, gave the advice during a visit to an AMPLIFIERS Feed Demonstration Farm at Chiraa in the Sunyani West District of the Brong-Ahafo Region.
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According to him, providing the right feed for the birds at the right time would help them to grow faster and become healthy to overcome communicable diseases and other related diseases.
Amplifiers
The AMPLIFIERS Project, which is being funded by the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) and implemented by the AMPLIFIERS Ghana is aimed at helping poultry farmers to be more efficient in reducing the period of broiler production from the current eight to 10 weeks to six weeks.
The project is also aimed at supporting poultry farmers to sharpen their farming skills and knowledge to enable them to manage their farms effectively with little resources.
At the Demonstration Farm at Chiraa in the Sunyani West District, about 70 poultry farmers, who were drawn from Chiraa and its surrounding communities, witnessed processes used by the AMPLIFIERS project to ensure that day-old broilers mature for consumption within six weeks.
High cost of production
Mr Asabere stated that the current broiler production period, which lasted between eight to 10 weeks, was too expensive for the farmers because the practice was costing poultry farmers huge sums of money, and at the end they produced little.
He observed that poultry farmers kept their broilers for too long, thereby incurring additional cost to feed the birds after six weeks which made their venture unprofitable.
He said as part of the AMPLIFIERS project, the poultry farmers were being educated on how to reduce cost in broiler production and increase profit.
Market
On market issues, he explained that the high price of birds on the Ghanaian market was a major factor contributing to the low demand.
Mr Asabere was optimistic that with the reduction in cost of production, prices on the market would reduce to help farmers to make more profit and ,therefore, encouraged poultry farmers to analyse their businesses in order to maximise their profits.
For his part, the Veterinary Officer in charge of Chiraa Zone, Mr Samuel Owusu, said education on biosecurity measures had been intensified for farmers to know its importance and how the system would help them to grow their birds without challenges.
The Sunyani West Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr Gilbert Sonkpe, who called for a ban on the importation of frozen chicken to help boost the poultry sector also urged the public to consume locally produced eggs and chicken to boost the local poultry industry.
Source: Graphic.gh.com
