Cheap imports hurt Ghana's poultry farmers

In 2002, Ghana imported 26,000 tonnes of chicken, mostly from the European Union. Two years later this figure had reached 40,000 tonnes. The domestic market (which supplied 95% of Ghana's poultry requirements in 1992) only supplied 11% of the total in 2002.


This has forced many local poultry producers to drastically downsize or close down their businesses. The few remaining poultry farms want the government to introduce measures to protect local farmers, such as such as giving out subsidies or lowering bank interest rates, raising tariffs, setting quotas or placing outright bans. Some industry members believe that Ghana should follow the lead of neighbouring country Nigeria, which limits imports of poultry, and other goods, even from its West African neighbours.


But authorities have been reluctant to impose such measures, saying that the local industry cannot meet the domestic demand for poultry meat. A 40% tariff on imported poultry products that was planned to begin in 2003, for instance, was never implemented.