The Government of Ghana has been called upon to help ensure availability of improved guinea fowl breeds to address seasonal gaps in egg production and hatching in in the country.
Mr Addai made the call when the Ghana News Agency visited his company at Kalpohin, a suburb of Tamale.
He said most local guinea fowls produced eggs for only about six months of the year resulting in seasonal shortages of eggs for hatching and limiting the continuous production of guinea fowl keets.
He said some improved guinea fowl breeds from countries such as France and Belgium had the capacity to lay eggs throughout the year.
Mr Addai, therefore, called for government’s support to make such breeds available to local producers.
He explained that access to improved breeds would enable commercial hatcheries to operate throughout the year and provide farmers with a more consistent supply of guinea fowl keets.
Mr Addai said guinea fowl production in the Northern Region was also constrained by diseases, which contributed to declining production and affected the profitability of farmers.
He mentioned fowl pox and “white diarrhoea” among conditions affecting guinea fowl production and called for stronger measures to control their spread.
He said Tower of God Enterprise fabricated incubators ranging from manual units with a capacity of 200 eggs to commercial models capable of holding up to 21,000 eggs.
He said the company specialised in locally fabricated commercial incubators with good thermal properties and electrical insulation to enhance operational efficiency and safety.
Mr Addai said the incubators operated with an air-draft system and did not require a chilling system, adding that the equipment could achieve hatching rates of close to 90 per cent.
He said financial support would enable the company to fabricate more commercial incubators, particularly units with capacities of 10,000 eggs and above to support hatchery operations across the region.
He urged the government, development partners, and other stakeholders to support enterprises developing locally appropriate agricultural technologies to strengthen the poultry value chain.
By Solomon Gumah, GNA
