Speaking at a conference at the beginning of the month, Bisiw said the funds would soon be released to farmers, according to reports in the Ghanaian press. Earlier this year, the Ghanaian farmers’ association complained publicly it was yet to receive the funds it had been pledged last August.
Ghana’s poultry industry has faced multiple challenges in recent years, including frequent outbreaks of bird flu, a reliance on expensive, imported feed, and high temperatures, which make poultry farming difficult.
Earlier this year, the managing director of the Ghana-Netherlands chamber of commerce Nico van Staalduinen caused controversy when he said Ghana should abandon commercial poultry production because it was uncompetitive, and instead focus on crops such as rice.
However, Bisiw said a growing poultry industry would go a long way to benefiting the entire country.
The money would be used to develop a new broiler processing plant, as well as to buy feed, drugs and develop new products, she said, adding: "We are hopeful that the funds will be released soon to the poultry farmers so that the broiler processing plant will be set up to help solve the litany of issues confronting the sector."