Sunyani poultry farmers in the Bono Region have appealed to the government to intervene in the sale of eggs, as the influx of cheaper supplies from Côte d’Ivoire continues to undermine their operations and threaten local livelihoods.
The farmers say the recent appreciation of the cedi against the CFA has encouraged Ivorian poultry farmers to export large quantities of eggs into the Bono market, particularly in the Sunyani and Dormaa areas, noted as part of Ghana’s major poultry production hubs.
The situation has resulted in an oversupply, leading to slow sales and financial losses for domestic farmers.
Speaking to The Ghanaian Times in Sunyani on Saturday, the Bono Regional Secretary of the Poultry Farmers Association, Mr Johnson Yeboah, said the problem had persisted for over six months, forcing some farmers to dispose of unsold eggs due to prolonged storage and spoilage.
“If the situation continues, many farmers will lose their investments. A crate of eggs that previously sold at GH¢58 now goes for between GH¢45 and GH¢50 at the farm gate, yet the eggs are still not moving,” he said.
Mr Yeboah explained that farmers in Côte d’Ivoire were able to supply their produce at lower prices because the depreciation of the CFA compared to the cedi made the Ghanaian market more profitable for them. He claimed to produce about 3,500 crates of eggs every week, but poor sales were eroding his business capital.
“At the same time, we are also dependent on feed ingredients such as maize and soya from Côte d’Ivoire. Without those supplies, the poultry industry here would have collapsed long ago. But now the finished products are being pushed back to us at lower prices,” he noted.
He called on the government to consider directing institutions such as the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), public hospitals, caterers in the school feeding programme, and other public agencies to procure eggs from local farmers to help stabilise the market.
“We believe if government institutions buy from us at agreed prices, we can clear the excess stock and sustain our farms,” he added.
A poultry farmer at Asufufu in the Sunyani Municipality, Madam Christiana Yeboaa, also raised concerns about the lack of ready market for spent layers, noting that the absence of a poultry processing plant in the region limited farmers’ options.
“In previous years, traders from Côte d’Ivoire bought our spent layers, but due to the current currency situation, they are no longer coming as they used to. This affects the entire poultry value chain,” she revealed.
The farmers warned that without urgent intervention, poultry production, an important economic activity in Bono, risked decline, with potential ripple effects on employment and local food security.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH,
SUNYANI
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