The Nkoko Nkitinkiti flagship poultry initiative, officially launched in the Ashanti Region by President John Dramani Mahama, will be rolled out in the Upper East Region of Ghana, reaching over 3,000 farmers across the region’s 15 districts.
Speaking exclusively to the media during a stakeholders’ engagement with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) regional director, the 15 district MOFA directors, and farmers at the In-Service Training Centre in Bolgatanga, Upper East Regional Minister Donatus Atanga Akamugri said that over 3,000 farmers are expected to benefit from the rollout.
Akamugri explained the district-based plan: initially, 100 farmers from each district will benefit, which amounts to 1,500 farmers from the first phase. An additional 100 farmers per district will be added in a subsequent phase, bringing the total to 3,000 farmers across the region.
Mr Donatus Akamugri noted that after the program has been launched, there is a need to engage stakeholders as to how prepared they are with their farms and their readiness to take their five hundred note before receiving four-week chicks that will come alive.
“And first of all, they have to also know those who are service providers who will be able, who have been selected to provide the feed and the medicine or whatever that is needed for that project; that’s why they are engaging the stakeholders, involving all the 15 MDCEs, the 15 MOFA directors as well as the regional MOFA director and some people who have interest in poultry farming in the region.
”“In the Upper East Region, for this first week after the launch, we’re expecting 100 farmers from each district; multiply that by 15 — that’s 1,500. But the other, I mean, I understand, within the next week, they will send another booklet containing another 100 farmers for each district, making it 1,500 farmers benefiting, so we are expecting to start with 3,000 farmers in the region,” Akamugri noted.
Akamugri added that the MOFA regional director and district directors will train farmers who have applied and been approved, taking them through the project and showing them how to manage their Nkoko Nkitinkiti farms to ensure the flagship program reaches all districts.
He explained the government’s distribution plan: the region will start by allocating each district 100 farmers from the agreement level. “And that’s what we have today. The booklet has 100 leaflets. And so that is meant for 100 farmers.
And in that case, each farmer will be given five hundred as the initial amount so that they will start with it. And before they can take delivery of the chicken, the four-week-old chicken, what they will do is to prepare the infrastructure, the cage, the building in which we’ll be able to house the chicks before they can take off.”
The DCEs and the district MOFA directors will receive applications from interested farmers and vet them. They will inspect sites to determine how prepared applicants are to receive the chicks.“So the Honourable DCEs and the great directors will receive applications from those who are interested and then vet them.
They will have to go check their site and see how prepared they are for us to be able to supply them with the cows. And so that is meant for 100 farmers. And in that case, each farmer will be given five hundred as the initial one so that they will start with it, before they can take delivery of the chicken, the four weeks old chicken, what they will do is to prepare the infrastructure, the cage, the building in which we’ll be able to house the birds before they can take off.”
So the DCEs and the Ministry of Food Agriculture directors will receive interested farmers’ applications and then vet them. They will follow up to check their site and see how prepared they are for them to be able to supply them the chicks to roll out the Nkoko Nkitinkiti flagship poultry initiative program effectively.”
Source; mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya Adongo.