Poultry farmers in the Nkoranza North Municipality of the Bono East Region are urging government to expand the distribution of chicks under the Nkoko Nketenkete initiative, warning that the programme’s current reach falls short of the area’s needs.
Speaking during a media visit to farms in the municipality, farmers and officials acknowledged the impact of the intervention but stressed that tens of thousands of registered producers remained without access to it.
Mr Joshua Yaw Jejija, Acting Municipal Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), said more than 50,000 farmers had registered with the directorate to access various government agricultural programmes. Of that number, roughly 10,000 poultry farmers had so far benefited from the Nkoko Nketenkete initiative, with 200 households each receiving 50 chicks alongside feed and other inputs.
Mr Jejija also revealed that the municipality had been selected to host a Farmer Service Centre, with land already secured for the facility, which is expected to improve access to agricultural support services and boost productivity.
About 10,000 farmers had additionally enrolled under the Feed Ghana programme, covering livestock production, aquaculture, and crop farming, with 5,000 specifically signing on to the Nkoko Nketenkete module.
Despite the progress, Mr Jejija raised concerns about the effects of climate change on farming in the area, citing erratic rainfall, extreme heat, and unpredictable weather as mounting threats to output. He also pointed to limited market access for poultry products as a significant barrier, undermining the benefits farmers derive from the intervention.
He called on government and stakeholders to address staffing shortfalls and provide the directorate with adequate logistics, including vehicles and motorbikes, to improve field monitoring.
Municipal Chief Executive Mr Godfred Dapaah confirmed that additional chicks would be distributed in the next phase of the programme and urged current beneficiaries to manage their birds responsibly to sustain the initiative’s impact.
The Nkoko Nketenkete initiative, launched in June 2025 under the Feed Ghana flagship programme, targets 55,000 households to produce one million improved broiler breeds and is projected to generate 1.7 million direct and indirect jobs nationwide.
