The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has announced that the government has started procuring birds for Members of Parliament as part of the Nkokɔ Nkitinkiti initiative. This effort aims to enhance domestic poultry production and reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported poultry products.
Speaking before Parliament’s Committee on Assurances on Thursday, July 9, the Minister said the initiative is intended to encourage lawmakers to invest in poultry farming while supporting the government’s broader agenda of revitalising the local poultry industry.
According to Mr Opoku, a formal proposal will soon be presented to Parliament for consideration and approval, although preparations for the programme are already at an advanced stage.
“I will soon table a proposal before Parliament for consideration. If Parliament agrees, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture will support all parliamentarians to go into poultry production,” he said.
“Even though I’m calling it a proposal, plans are far advanced,” he added.
The Minister revealed that the Ministry had already commenced the procurement of birds specifically for Members of Parliament ahead of the rollout of the initiative.
“The Ministry is procuring some quantity of birds, mainly for Members of Parliament,” he stated.
Mr Opoku explained that once the birds are ready, they will be distributed to designated locations to enable interested legislators to begin poultry production.
He said the decision to involve MPs was based on their capacity to establish successful poultry businesses and help attract greater investment into the sector.
Describing poultry farming as a profitable venture, the Minister encouraged legislators to take advantage of the initiative when it is officially launched.
“And I must say that it’s a very viable project. I’m a poultry farmer myself. I started not long ago. If you know what I know, you would have run to be part of that process,” he said.
Mr Opoku also disclosed that many Members of Parliament are already engaged in agriculture in addition to their legislative duties.
“As we speak, about 67 per cent of MPs in Ghana are farmers. So when you see people in ties and think they are only making money from Parliament, you are deceiving yourself,” he said.
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