Poultry farmers want subsidies on feed

The Vice-President of the Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers, Mr Tony Mensah, has appealed to the government to subsidise the cost of poultry feed in order to help farmers increase the production of birds in the country to meet the growing local demand.

He also noted that such a move would empower local poultry farmers to be able to produce sufficient birds to compete effectively with imported poultry on pricing.

 “Almost 70 per cent of production cost is on feed and this is where we want the government to come in.  Now there is no subsidy on poultry as it was in the 1980s,” Mr Mensah told the Daily Graphic in an interview last Wednesday.

“Soya, maize and fish meal are the main ingredients of poultry feed but these are very expensive and that is where the challenge is,” he added.
Need for capacity building

While commending the government for being proactive in its efforts to resuscitate the industry by bringing on board the ‘Ghana Broiler Revitalisation Project (GHABROP),’ Mr Mensah said there was also the need to rebuild the capacities of poultry farmers in the country to be abreast of modern ways of farming to increase productivity.

 “You can have good feed; you can have good birds yet management will be a problem, so the government can also help in developing the capacity of poultry farmers to be able to manage production,” he appealed.

On earlier requests for the government to consider compelling hotels to use only locally-grown chicken in their operations, Mr Mensah said the government must first improve the production capacity of local farmers to be able to meet local demand before such a policy could be implemented.
Poultry advisory council

Mr Mensah also called on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to expedite action on the setting up of the poultry advisory council.

 “The council is expected to oversee the operations of the industry and a document on its establishment was currently with Cabinet for approval,” Mr Mensah said.

The document when approved by Cabinet, he said, would oversee the welfare of the local poultry industry and also help build the capacity of players.

On the impact of recent investments in the poultry industry, Mr Mensah said Ghanaians should expect increased output this year to meet a greater part of demand.

He, however, urged all Ghanaians to repose confidence in the local poultry industry and opt for local chicken as against  imported ones.

Ghana’s competitiveness

There is currently a debate as to whether or not the country has the competitive advantage to do poultry on a large scale to meet local demand and for export.

The Managing Director of the Ghana Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (GHANECC), Mr Nico Van Staalduinen, who stirred the controversy when he suggested to the government not to concentrate on poultry production because Ghana lacked the competitive advantage in the sector, has come under intense fire from all walks of life.

According to him, the conditions in Ghana did not favour poultry production and urged the government to focus on areas such as rice production, among other things, where it had the competitive advantage.

Making a contribution during the Graphic Business/Fidelity Bank Breakfast Meeting in Accra, he categorically called on the government to stop investing in the production of poultry, and explained that the high temperatures in the country, high cost of poultry feed and frequent outbreak of bird flu made it uncompetitive for the country to undertake commercial rearing of the birds.

But his assertion has been vehemently opposed by various people, including players in the local poultry industry.

They cited the early 80s and 90s when Ghana had many poultry farmers who produced on a large scale to meet local demand and for exports as an example that could be repeated provided the government provided a better playing field for the farmers in the business

- See more at: http://graphic.com.gh/business/business-news/28021-poultry-farmers-want-subsidies-on-feed.html#sthash.R1Y0WFfp.dpuf

Don’t Produce Poultry in Ghana — CEO of Netherlands Chamber tirs Debate

The Managing Director of the Ghana-Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (GHANECC), Mr Nico Van Staalduinen, last week stirred controversy when he suggested to the government not to concentrate on poultry production because Ghana lacked the competitive advantage in sector.

According to him, the conditions in Ghana do not favour poultry production and urged the government to focus on areas such as rice production, among other things, where it had the competitive advantage.

Making a contribution during the GRAPHIC BUSINESS/FIDELITY BANK Breakfast Meeting in Accra on June 15, he categorically called on the government to stop investing in the production of poultry, and explained that the high temperatures in the country, high cost of poultry feed and frequent outbreak of bird flu made it uncompetitive for the country to undertake commercial rearing of the birds.

But his assertion was vehemently opposed by a renowned film producer, Mr Kow Ansah, who wondered whether Mr Staalduinen had conducted any studies to arrive at his conclusion.

He cited the early 80s and 90s when Ghana had many poultry farmers who produced on a large scale to meet local demand for exports.

“We have done it before and we can still do it; We do not need you to come tell us what we are competitive in or not; the examples of Darko Farms and Afariwa farms are there to show”, he argued fiercely to an extent that the moderator for the function had to step in to calm tempers.

His call comes at a time when the government is preparing a GHC50 million package to revive the ailing poultry industry.

The funding is expected to resuscitate dying companies, start new businesses,as well as set up small scale processing plants to process the birds for the local market.

The venture is expected to help reduce the country’s over-dependence on imported poultry, which is currently costing government some US$350 million annually.
The outgoing Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, had met with the members of the poultry association to assure them of the government’s support to restore the fortunes of the poultry sector.

Giants in the industry such as Afariwa Farms and Darko Farms, which combined with many others, supplied to meet local demand and for exports, have both collapsed, leaving a few in operation.
Arguing further in favour of his position in an interview with the GRAPHIC BUSINESS, Mr Staalduinen insisted that instead of channelling money into a venture that might yield no results, he said the country was better off using that money to support sectors that it had competitive advantage.

“Technically, Ghana can produce chicken but Ghana can ever hardly be competitive in the growth of chicken because the varieties of chickens that are preferred at the global market today are not favourable in Ghana because of the weather. Unless Ghana considers starting from the scratch to develop a good variety of chicken that will do well in Ghana, it will be uncompetitive to engage in commercial poultry production” he explained.

While admitting that government’s efforts at reviving the poultry industry was also supported by the Netherlands government, the CEO of the GHANECC said it did not take out the fact that Ghana’s present circumstances made it uncompetitive in the commercial poultry business.

Mr Staalduinen held the view that chickens that were reared in temperatures above 28 Degree Celsius got drenched quickly because of the high temperature.

That, he said, meant that places such as Europe, where temperatures are milder, if five or 10 day old chickens would die in a day, 60 or 100 day old chickens would die in Ghana in a day because of the high temperature.

Having worked in the poultry industry in Netherlands before coming to Ghana, Mr Staalduinen explained that “a chicken that takes 40 days in Europe to gain slaughter weight will take not less than 60 days in Ghana to gain weight because chickens in Ghana drink a lot of water.”

Feeding challenges

He said Ghana was not able to produce enough maize for human consumption and would, therefore, be forced to import some to feed poultry should it go into commercial production.
This argument is on the back of the fact that Ghana is still not self-sufficient in maize production and has to rely on imports to make up for local demand.

Using his own country as an example, Mr Staalduinen said Netherlands could not compete favourably with Ghana in cassava production because his country did not have the right temperature needed for cassava to thrive and hence the need for Ghana to take advantage of its location and rather invest in cassava, tilapia, oil palm, maize and other areas where it had competitive advantage.

He pointed out that the Ghana poultry industry did well in the past because it was difficult to export poultry to Ghana because of factors such as high duty chargers but the situation was not the same at the moment and, therefore, Ghana should look carefully for its strong points where it had the advantage.

Poultry Association reacts

The Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers has disagreed with suggestions that the country is not competitive in poultry production, hence the need for government to channel its resources in other sectors.

According to the association, the local poultry industry was producing its 40 per cent production quota currently, and with more government interventions, it could up its capacity.
Poultry association reacts

In a related development, the Chairman of the Poultry Farmers Association of Ghana, Mr Kwadwo Asante, has described the suggestions made by the Managing Director of the Ghana Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (GHANECC), Mr Staalduinen, as baseless.

He told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS on July 18 that “The government intervention is creating more market for us. Since government does not want to ban poultry importation outright, gradually we are going to take up full production quota at 100 per cent,” he explained.

According to him, birds being raised from the Akati and Darko Farms were surviving in the same conditions that Mr Van Staalduinen cited as unconducive for the country and subsequently belaboured the assertion that Ghana would be uncompetitive in poultry production.

Daily Graphic, July, 22, 2014

Don’t produce poultry in Ghana — CEO of Netherlands Chamber stirs debate - See more at: http://graphic.com.gh/business/business-news/27547-don-t-produce-poultry-in-ghana-ceo-of-netherlands-chamber-stirs-debate.html#sthash.ZAuqku18.OKKtfk8P.dpuf

The Managing Director of the Ghana-Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (GHANECC), Mr Nico Van Staalduinen, last week stirred controversy when he suggested to the government not to concentrate on poultry production because Ghana lacked the competitive advantage in sector.
According to him, the conditions in Ghana do not favour poultry production and urged the government to focus on areas such as rice production, among other things, where it had the competitive advantage.
Making a contribution during the GRAPHIC BUSINESS/FIDELITY BANK Breakfast Meeting in Accra on June 15, he categorically called on the government to stop investing in the production of poultry, and explained that the high temperatures in the country, high cost of poultry feed and frequent outbreak of bird flu made it uncompetitive for the country to undertake commercial rearing of the birds.
But his assertion was vehemently opposed by a renowned film producer, Mr Kow Ansah, who wondered whether Mr Staalduinen had conducted any studies to arrive at his conclusion.
He cited the early 80s and 90s when Ghana had many poultry farmers who produced on a large scale to meet local demand for exports.
“We have done it before and we can still do it; We do not need you to come tell us what we are competitive in or not; the examples of Darko Farms and Afariwa farms are there to show”, he argued fiercely to an extent that the moderator for the function had to step in to calm tempers.
His call comes at a time when the government is preparing a GHC50 million package to revive the ailing poultry industry.
The funding is expected to resuscitate dying companies, start new businesses,as well as set up small scale processing plants to process the birds for the local market.
The venture is expected to help reduce the country’s over-dependence on imported poultry, which is currently costing government some US$350 million annually.
The outgoing Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, had met with the members of the poultry association to assure them of the government’s support to restore the fortunes of the poultry sector.
Giants in the industry such as Afariwa Farms and Darko Farms, which combined with many others, supplied to meet local demand and for exports, have both collapsed, leaving a few in operation.
Arguing further in favour of his position in an interview with the GRAPHIC BUSINESS, Mr Staalduinen insisted that instead of channelling money into a venture that might yield no results, he said the country was better off using that money to support sectors that it had competitive advantage.
“Technically, Ghana can produce chicken but Ghana can ever hardly be competitive in the growth of chicken because the varieties of chickens that are preferred at the global market today are not favourable in Ghana because of the weather. Unless Ghana considers starting from the scratch to develop a good variety of chicken that will do well in Ghana, it will be uncompetitive to engage in commercial poultry production” he explained.
While admitting that government’s efforts at reviving the poultry industry was also supported by the Netherlands government, the CEO of the GHANECC said it did not take out the fact that Ghana’s present circumstances made it uncompetitive in the commercial poultry business.
Mr Staalduinen held the view that chickens that were reared in temperatures above 28 Degree Celsius got drenched quickly because of the high temperature.
That, he said, meant that places such as Europe, where temperatures are milder, if five or 10 day old chickens would die in a day, 60 or 100 day old chickens would die in Ghana in a day because of the high temperature.
Having worked in the poultry industry in Netherlands before coming to Ghana, Mr Staalduinen explained that “a chicken that takes 40 days in Europe to gain slaughter weight will take not less than 60 days in Ghana to gain weight because chickens in Ghana drink a lot of water.”
Feeding challenges
He said Ghana was not able to produce enough maize for human consumption and would, therefore, be forced to import some to feed poultry should it go into commercial production.
This argument is on the back of the fact that Ghana is still not self-sufficient in maize production and has to rely on imports to make up for local demand.
Using his own country as an example, Mr Staalduinen said Netherlands could not compete favourably with Ghana in cassava production because his country did not have the right temperature needed for cassava to thrive and hence the need for Ghana to take advantage of its location and rather invest in cassava, tilapia, oil palm, maize and other areas where it had competitive advantage.
He pointed out that the Ghana poultry industry did well in the past because it was difficult to export poultry to Ghana because of factors such as high duty chargers but the situation was not the same at the moment and, therefore, Ghana should look carefully for its strong points where it had the advantage.
Poultry Association reacts
The Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers has disagreed with suggestions that the country is not competitive in poultry production, hence the need for government to channel its resources in other sectors.
According to the association, the local poultry industry was producing its 40 per cent production quota currently, and with more government interventions, it could up its capacity.
Poultry association reacts
In a related development, the Chairman of the Poultry Farmers Association of Ghana, Mr Kwadwo Asante, has described the suggestions made by the Managing Director of the Ghana Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (GHANECC), Mr Staalduinen, as baseless.
He told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS on July 18 that “The government intervention is creating more market for us. Since government does not want to ban poultry importation outright, gradually we are going to take up full production quota at 100 per cent,” he explained.
According to him, birds being raised from the Akati and Darko Farms were surviving in the same conditions that Mr Van Staalduinen cited as unconducive for the country and subsequently belaboured the assertion that Ghana would be uncompetitive in poultry production.
- See more at: http://graphic.com.gh/business/business-news/27547-don-t-produce-poultry-in-ghana-ceo-of-netherlands-chamber-stirs-debate.html#sthash.ZAuqku18.OKKtfk8P.dpuf

The Institutionalization of Corruption: The Twin Sister of Ebola

The scare of Ebola in the sub-region of West-Africa renewed a wave of debate which opened the public space where perceptions, opinions and expert advices were molded into a global discourse.

We congratulate our gallant men and women who volunteered and went to these Ebola-infected countries and are back with us. Bravo!

To many people, the outbreak of Ebola was the worst disease to strike mankind since the time of Adam. The World Bank estimated that the disease would cost the already poverty-ravaged sub-region $80M, unless concerted efforts were taken to stop the spread of the disease. Everybody within the sub-region was subjected to some form of fear, anxiety and harrowing experiences. To some, the Ebola disease was synonymous to the biblical pestilence and therefore sought refuge in the “Old Man” above. Others had a contrary view, to them, the African gods were angry and needed to be pacified.

And as very typical of Africans, some people did not hesitate to exploit the humor side of the whole episode. Several satirical videos became popular on social media, with some clips racking up hundreds of thousands of viewers. This stirred a sort of happy experiences despite deepening the fears of the already fear-gripped African.

At an individual level, the Ebola scare expanded my vocabulary wardrobe, for the words, “epidemic” and “pandemic” had ringed in my ears several times, but I had not bothered to find out the difference between these seemly similar words. But thanks to the Ebola outbreak, it dawned on me that after all, the two words could be said to be “cousins” but certainly not “twin sisters” who spilled from the same ovary.

In the midst of this mounting fear and anxiety, the Ebola scare became the “hook” for major local and international media houses, but surprisingly, I laughed it off each time I saw any bulletin that contained Ebola-related story. In my opinion, the world and its people were hypocrites.

Some held the school of thought that Ebola was a population control weapon manufactured in the lab by the West that was intended to reduce the population of Africa. To them, the West feared the arithmetic growth in population of Africa threatened their survival. But that was not my beef, my “mutton” was that the African suffered a more deadly disease far dangerous than Ebola. A disease which had been allowed to thrive for decades but has only received ‘kid blows’ in its combat. In my view, that disease was synonymous to the proverbial snake, very coldly and shiny, but deadly when it stroke. The worst disease of our time, in my opinion, was not the much advertised Ebola, but the institutionalization of corruption.

According to the Transparency Intentional, an anti-corruption body’s report 2013, corruption cost Africa more than $80billion a year, far more than the $30billion African countries received annually as grants from the West.

The symptoms of this canker is staring us on the face in all facets of our national lives.

I walked into one public office in 2010 and I still remember every episode I witnessed as vividly as the day a decent woman breaks her virginity. The woman in the office, apparently, the secretary to the “big man” I was going to look for, gave me scornful look and told me straight in the face that the man was not there. Meanwhile I had spotted the man’s car parked in the compound, so I suspected the woman might be lying to me. After the back and forth argument, I decided to wait for a while. All of a sudden, a man walked into the office and this woman told him the same story but the man dipped into his pocket and dropped 5 cedis note on her table. To my surprise, the woman wobbled into an adjoining office, came back in a jiffy and told the man to see her boss. You see! People now demand to be bribed before they execute the services they are hired to render, for which they are paid.

The CDD report released on December, 2, 2014 indicted several institutions in Ghana of corrupt practices including “sacred” institutions such as the Judiciary and the Office of the Presidency. The Police Institution as expected fell on the number three position. This was not surprising since the Police Service have institutionalized the “mandatory one Ghana cedis road tax” that trotro drivers must pay to them each time the police mounted a barricade on the road.

Corruption from the word go, has been attached to the umbilical cord of the African. The Africa traditional systems in itself reinforce corrupt practices. This might sound very impolite and harsh, but that is the bitter truth. There have been several reported cases of traditional leaders selling lands to multiple buyers. Besides that, traditionally, a person who visited the Chief's Palace was expected to go there wrapped with a gift.

Former President Jerry John Rawlings ignited a controversy when he described some men of God as charlatans who were using magic to deceive some naïve Ghanaians. Some people called for his head for touching God’s anointed children, but the activities of some men of God seem to give currency to his statement.

It is evident that some men of God are turning into millionaires at the expense of their congregation who continue to wallow in perpetual poverty.

Inasmuch as religion is the soul of every society and by extension country, it is high time the behaviors of some so-called men of God are fine-tuned to reflect the very gospel they preached about. Religion has the core mandate to transform lives of the marginalized and the socially-handicapped by bestowing hope, understanding and drawing people closer to their maker, but contrary, we have wittingly or unwittingly raised some men of God above sainthood, making it blasphemous to criticize them even when they crossed the line.

Even in our political front, competency has been thrown to the dogs. All that a person who wants to occupy a political office needs to do is to bribe his or her way through. Ironically, if you demand that someone must give you money before you vote for him or her, then do you have the moral right to criticize the person if he or she fails to deliver on his or her mandate?

I contested for the position of Local NUGS Secretary in the University of Cape Coast some time ago but I lost it, not because my competitor who finally won was competent more than I was, or possibly, because I did not adopt a proper campaign strategy, the only wall that separated me from achieving my goal was that I was unyielding to tow the status quo. Every person I approached demanded I gave them money because, according to them, every person seeking leadership position was only going there to loot.

All the influential traditional leaders in all the halls of residence I approached demanded not less than 500 cedis before they would rally their support behind me. If you multiple that amount of money by the six traditional halls, then your guess would be as good as mine. This was beside the “hausa koko”, “shawani” and yoghurt I was supposed to share to “buy students’ vote” in addition to printing of posters. So if I spend more than 5,000 cedis just to occupy a position of Local NUGS Secretary, would you begrudge me when I become corrupt?

This might sound like a fairy tale but the reality is that many of our national politicians go through similar, if not worse ordeals in their quest to occupy political offices. We should not always think of corruption in terms of political leadership. We must realize that our individual actions or inactions are contributory factors that continue to nourish this beast called corruption.

Today we have all joined the bandwagon to protest against Woyome unlawful judgement debt payment, the GYEEDA scandal, NSS rot, Police recruitment scam and the rest. That is an awesome showcase of patriotism, but at the individual level, are we upholding integrity in our daily activities? Do we pay lip service to its combat?

If the world could contribute billions of dollars to combat Ebola virus, what prevent us from pulling our resource to fight a more deadly disease like corruption which is tearing our continent apart? Africa certainly needs a conscious revolution that would awaken us from our deepest slumber.

Writer: Abdul-Karim Mohammed Awaf
Communication Studies
University of Cape Coast

UCC Holds Matriculation

A total 6247 students have been admitted into the University of Cape Coast to pursue various programmes for the 2014/2015 academic year.

Out of the number, 5722 are undergraduates’ students, with 461 being Masters Students whilst 109 are Phd students.

This was disclosed by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Prof. D. D. Kuupole at 2014/2015 matriculation ceremony to formally welcome fresh students into the university.

Addressing the matriculants, the Vice Chancellor revealed that the admission of undergraduate students this year represented 6.8% increase over last year’s figure which stood at 5360.
He said that the post graduate admission also saw an increase of 12.4%, an indication the university’s quest to provide more opportunity for people to study.

One significant thing about this year’s admission figures, he said, was that, for the Faculty of Arts and the School of Medical Sciences, the ratio of female to male was high.
He said, for instance, the Faculty of Arts registered 227 female and 200 males whilst the School of Medical Sciences registered 31 females and 27 male, a good record which the institution need to be commended.

The Vice Chancellor advised the matriiculants that the purpose of university education is to render services to people and society and the University of Cape Coast is a place for academic excellence, and that the university strives to provide supportive but challenging environment in which students could realize their potentials while recognizing their responsibility to serve others.

He however cautioned the fresh students that the academic enterprise thrives on discipline and for that matter, lawless behaviors were not entertained in the university.
Prof. Kuupole said that the duty of the university was to develop a new generation of leaders who possess the critical intelligence to pursue truth, commitment, dedication to hard work, honesty and people who are conscious of their social responsibility.