Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has urged beneficiaries of the government’s Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative to treat the programme as a business venture by selling most of the birds they rear instead of consuming them.
Speaking on Joy FM’s The Future of Poultry Beyond Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme on Friday, July 17, 2026, the minister acknowledged that while beneficiaries may consume some of the birds for household use, they should focus on expanding their flocks and selling the rest to generate income.
According to him, the primary objective of the initiative is to increase local poultry production, create sustainable livelihoods and strengthen Ghana’s poultry value chain.
“You have been given the birds, and you are a human being, so you cannot leave them there and go to the market to buy chicken once you have it. So consume some, but don’t consume everything. See it as a business and as seed that can help you expand your poultry enterprise.
“In any case, what are birds raised for? Are they clocks to be fixed on the wall for people to look at?” he said.
Eric Opoku noted that one of the biggest challenges confronting poultry farmers is the lack of a reliable market for their products, stressing that value addition remains key to transforming the sector.
To address this challenge, he disclosed that the government has commenced the establishment of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti Poultry Processing Centre in Bechem following the rollout of the backyard poultry project.
He explained that the processing facility will provide a ready market for poultry farmers, promote value addition and improve the competitiveness of locally produced poultry.
The minister said the initiative forms part of the government’s efforts to boost domestic poultry production, encourage the consumption of locally produced chicken and reduce Ghana’s dependence on imported poultry products while strengthening the entire poultry value chain.