The first batch of broiler poultry under the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) of the Ministry of Food & Agriculture (MOFA) are now ready for processing into whole chicken and cut parts for packaging and marketing, having reached the maturity age of 7 weeks, with an average live weight of between 2.9 and 3 kilos.

For fast-food restaurants like KFC, Papaye among others, their markets demand dressed chicken between the weights of 1.1 and 1.3 kg, which is generally obtained between 4 and 5 weeks old, with an average live weight 1.7 and 2.0 kg. Consumers can therefore obtain these homegrown, hygienically processed, fresh and nutritious broiler chicken in malls, restaurants and processing facilities. Consumers can therefore obtain these homegrown, hygienically processed, fresh and nutritious broiler chicken in malls, restaurants and processing facilities in parts of the country.

These are being run under the ‘FSRP Poultry Intensification Scheme’ which commenced in June this year under the auspices of the Ministry of Food & Agriculture.

An FSRP Monitoring team made up of officials of the Animal Production Directorate (APD), the Veterinary Services Dept (VSD) and the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) visited the poultry farms and processing facilities in the Ashanti Region to ascertain their adherence to laid down industrial standards like feed quality, vaccinations, bio-security requirements, the required weights and general healthcare of the birds. The facilities were at Rockland Farms (producers of Akoko Tasty Chicken), Asamoah and Yamoah Farms (producers of Gold Birds), Darko Farms (producers of Darko Farms Chicken) and Boris B Farms (producers of Boris B Chicken).

At Rockland Farms, FSRP and MOFA officials witnessed semi-automated processing methods, whist Darko Farms and Asamoah & Yamoah Farms took FSRP officials through their fully automated processing methods, including slaughtering, dressing, cutting into parts, packaging, blast freezing and transportation.

The ongoing FSRP Poultry Intensification Scheme, has also been rolled out in the Eastern Region (with Fredna Farms), in the Central Region (with Judahson Farms) and in the Greater Accra Region (with Pap Farms). Anchor farmers in the Bono and other regions are expected to be rolled onto the scheme next month.

The MOFA-FSRP Poultry Intensification Scheme is being run in phases under World Bank funding, with each beneficiary receiving input credit in the form of about one hundred and sixty thousand (160, 000) day-old chicks, 4.5kg of feed per bird, as well as supplies of vaccines. They will also be trained in best modern practices and climate-smart technologies within the poultry industry. They will further be able to access matching grants to procure equipment to support post-production processing and cold storage. The scheme targets the production of approximately 2 million broiler birds on a yearly basis, under a $12.5m World Bank facility. Under the scheme, eighteen (18) commercial anchor farmers and their outgrowers nationwide are being supported to produce, process and market 2 million birds annually over the next three years.