John Dumelo, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture has disclosed that middlemen are to blame for the high cost of locally produced poultry.
The Deputy Agric Minster highlighted that middleman pricing practices make imported chicken cheaper than Ghanaian poultry products.
Acording to John Dumelo, intermediaries often buy poultry from farmers at relatively low prices but sell it to consumers at significantly higher prices.
He further disclosed that middlemen are making it difficult for Ghanaians to afford locally produced chicken noting that the situation undermine government efforts to strengthen Ghana’s poultry industry.
Speaking on behalf of the government at a poultry round-table discussion in Accra on Monday, October 26, 2026, with the Netherlands, John Dumelo stated, “One thing that is of concern to me is the cost of producing poultry. If you look at the cost of production, the number of middlemen that carry it to the consumer, so yes, even though the farmer sells at affordable prices, maybe GHC80 before it gets to the final consumer, it is around GHC 200, and so let’s look at it”.
He explained that consumers’ inability to buy directly from farmers was driving up prices for locally produced poultry, putting domestic producers at a disadvantage against imported products.
According to John Dumelo, price disparity risks discouraging consumers from buying Ghanaian poultry, even as the government seeks to increase local production.
He further disclosed that the Ministry of Agriculture was taking the poultry sector seriously, particularly in view of the data showing Ghana reliance on imported chicken.
“We are taking the poultry sector very seriously”, he said.
Also, the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Hans Akerboom, has disclosed that about 80 per cent of Ghana’s poultry supply was imported in 2024 alone.
In related news, Franklin Cudjoe, the President of IMANI Africa, has warned the John Mahama government that the ‘Nkoko Nkitinkiti‘ programme. risks becoming “Flying Akonfem Version 2”.
According to Franklin Cudjoe, the ‘Nkoko Nkitinkiti’ programme risks becoming the ‘Flying Akonfem Version 2 ‘ as 3 million birds have been distributed since October 2025 without adequate processing plants or cold-chain infrastructure.
FranklIn Cudjoe questioned why Ghana imports over 80% of its poultry at $300 million annually and questioned the lack of cost-benefit analysis for the GHS 250 million expenditure plus potential $20 million more.
He argued that Ghana’s poultry sector requires more than increasing production.
In a post shared on his X page on July 22, 2026, Franklin Cudjoe detailed, “Nkoko Nkitinkiti risks becoming ‘Flying Akomfem Version 2. – Franklin Cudjoe
1. Ghana imports over 80% of its poultry at a cost of $300 million annually. The government’s new Nkoko Nkitinkiti Programme has been distributing projected 3 million birds nationwide since October 2025.
2. I have not read or seen any impact analysis justifying the spending of GHS 250 million on this policy, with an additional $20m likely to be approved for the programme.
3. Sadly, when funds are given to existing big poultry companies, they often import chicken and repackage it as locally produced. For instance, a well-known company received GHS 20 million under 1D-1F to expand operations but reportedly used the funds to import and rebrand foreign chicken as Ghanaian.
4. My dear Agric Minister, please show us a cost-benefit analysis justifying this GHS 250 million expenditure from taxpayer money. Otherwise, I fear that additional funds committed by the World Bank will be wasted.
5. IMANI warned last year that unless production is matched with processing and cold-chain infrastructure, the programme risks collapse.
6. IMANI explored the following questions and observations:
🔸 Why distributing millions of birds without processing plants will destabilise prices and create waste.
🔸 Farmers’ concern: “When the birds mature, where do we take them?”
🔸 How processing and cold storage can stabilise markets, ensure quality, and create jobs.
🔸 Why a full poultry ecosystem, from feed supply to logistics, is essential for reducing imports.
7. Producing millions of birds without processing is like building a factory with no power to run the machines”.
@ghnow_ Sister Afia arrive in Kumasi for Rapperholic Homecoming #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – Wasako Lyrics
@ghnow_ Kuame Eugene arrive in Kumasi for Rapperholic Homecoming #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – afrobase_tv
