Poultry prices to go up

Friday, December 7, 2007-page 31
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
POULTRY farmers in the country have predicted a sharp rise in the prices of live birds this Christmas season following increases in the prices of poultry feeds and inputs.
For instance, a bag of wheat bran has been increased from GH¢2.50 to GH¢4.50 while 50 kilogrammes of maize now sell at GH¢14.50 instead of Gh¢12 just a month ago.
Currently, one live bird sells at between Gh¢4 and Gh¢7.
The farmers expressed worry at the rise in the prices of the poultry feeds and inputs, arguing that it would compel them to increase the prices of live birds to meet their production cost.
That, they said, would kill the local poultry industry in favour of imported frozen chicken.
According to Mr Emmanuel Quaye, a poultry farmer at Odorkor in Accra, he had no option but to pass on the additional cost to consumers in order to break even.
Another poultry farmer who pleaded anonymity was utterly angry at the increases since it had the potential of affecting production of live birds.
That, he argued, was a way of strangling local poultry farmers to the advantage of their foreign counterparts.
A sales personnel at the Ghana Co-operative Poultry Farmers Association, Mrs Beatrice Asare, admitted that the increase in the cost of poultry feeds and inputs would have adverse effects on poultry farmers.
She, however, indicated that the rise in the cost of the poultry feeds and inputs followed the general economic situation in the country.
Meanwhile, consumers have expressed worry at the possible increase in the cost of live birds during the Christmas season.
A trader, Mrs Margaret Lamptey, asked the authorities to consider reducing the cost of poultry feeds and inputs to guard against the possible increases in the prices of live birds.
She hinted that she would resort to buying a small goat or frozen chicken should the price of poultry product rise sharply.
Mr Wiafe Oheneba, a shoe dealer, said he might switch to other meat sources if the price of live birds shot up.