The Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers (GNAPF) has called for measures to boost domestic egg consumption to protect local producers from market disruptions arising from cross-border trade.
The Association said increased local demand would help absorb domestic production, stabilise the market and reduce farmers’ dependence on export destinations, following a three-month border closure that caused an egg glut and sharp price declines.
Mr George Dassah, National President of the GNAPF, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that although egg exports to Burkina Faso had resumed, the industry needed a stronger domestic market to ensure long-term stability.
“Cross-border trade is something you cannot guarantee what will happen tomorrow,” he said, urging the authorities to intensify public education on the nutritional benefits of eggs and facilitate their inclusion in school meals.
Mr Dassah said the border closure had prevented farmers, particularly those in the Bono Region, from exporting eggs to their main market, leaving them with unsold produce and increasing production costs.
He said some eggs were destroyed at the Burkina Faso border during the period, while farmers faced difficulties maintaining production and supplying feed to their birds without adequate income from sales.
The closure lasted about three months, during which the inability to access the export market compounded the challenges of disposing of eggs already produced.
Mr Dassah said engagements between Ghanaian and Burkinabe authorities had subsequently resulted in the reopening of the border and the resumption of exports, providing relief to affected farmers.
He said regular sales were essential to enable farmers to meet the cost of feed and other operational expenses required to sustain production.
Mr Dassah, however, attributed the glut partly to increased domestic production, noting that relatively stable maize prices had helped reduce feed costs, a development he believed should also benefit consumers.
He estimated that Ghanaians consumed between 20 and 30 eggs per person annually, a level he described as too low to provide a reliable domestic market for local producers.
To address the situation, Mr Dassah said the Association had engaged the Minister of Education on proposals to introduce locally produced eggs and chicken into school meals.
He said a committee established to consider the proposal had completed its report, and the Association was hopeful that the process would be facilitated to enable schools to begin purchasing eggs from local farmers.
“We are praying that they will try to facilitate the process so that the schools can start lifting the eggs,” he said.
Mr Dassah said even if each secondary school student consumed three eggs a week, it would significantly increase domestic demand and help absorb local production.
He said incorporating eggs into school meals would provide an additional market for farmers while supporting efforts to increase consumption within the country.
The GNAPF President also called for sustained public education on the nutritional value of eggs, particularly their protein content and choline, a nutrient important for brain development.
He said promoting egg consumption among households and facilitating institutional purchases by schools would help strengthen the domestic market and reduce the industry’s exposure to disruptions in cross-border trade.
Mr Dassah said a more dependable local market was important to enable poultry farmers to sustain production and meet their operating costs, even when export markets were disrupted.
By Edward Acquah, GNA
