Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has stressed the need for Ghana to significantly boost its domestic poultry production before considering a ban on poultry imports.
Speaking at the 2025 AgriFair held at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra on Saturday, June 21, hosted by Channel One TV, the Minister noted that Ghana’s current production levels fall far short of national consumption, making an immediate ban unrealistic.
“When you look at the poultry sector, our consumption as a nation is estimated at around 400,000 metric tons, but production is only about 15,000 tons. So, how do you place a ban on the importation of poultry products?” he asked.
Mr. Opoku indicated that the government is instead prioritising strategies to increase local production. Central to this approach, he said, is the shift from rain-fed to irrigation-based agriculture, which would allow for year-round farming.
“What we plan to do is put mechanisms in place to increase production and productivity. That is why we are saying that this time round, we want to move our agriculture from its current rain-fed status to irrigation agriculture, so that we can ensure all-year-round farming,” he explained.
He further revealed that the government, under the Feed Ghana Programme, is focused on expanding irrigation infrastructure to boost both crop and livestock output across the year.
“If we get farmers under irrigation from January to December, we can ensure consistent production and also keep our agro-industries operating throughout the year,” he added.
