Rising imports of cheap frozen chicken for the local market, combined with a lack of proper support for the domestic industry, have put about 80% of poultry farmers out of business, leaving the rest struggling to cope.

According to EU data on chicken exports, Ghana has been Africa’s largest importer of chicken for the past five years, with 227,903 tonnes imported by him in 2021.

The Ghana National Poultry Farmers Association (GNAPF) has therefore made an impassioned plea to the government and other stakeholders to intervene to save the sector from total collapse.

Federal President Victor Oppon Ajay appealed, saying that aside from high input costs, unfair competition from chicken importers has cost more than 1 million jobs along the value chain.

Citing EU data, he said China imported 683,709 tons of frozen chicken from Brazil, the US and the EU in 2021, the equivalent of 570 million birds.

The poultry industry, which has grown by 20% annually since 1970, is in rapid decline and the country is struggling to produce 1% of total chicken imports.

This is unlike other countries where exporters receive government subsidies, poultry farmers do not receive the necessary government support, leading to unfair competition.