Wienco partners Provimi to boost poultry industry

In the quest to help revitalise the poultry industry with technologically improved feed, Wienco Ghana Limited has entered into an agreement with South African company Provimi to supply the industry with a commercial feed concentrate christened “ProvimiBasemix”.

ProvimiBasemix is a well-balanced, highly nutritious base mix that provides all nutrients required by birds at any production stage. The product also contains sufficient levels of nutrients to sustain growth and improve production of chickens.

The Base mix is mixed with maize, soya-bean meal, wheat bran, cotton oil cake and oyster shell to prepare complete poultry feed.

The ultimate goal is to optimise profitability by feeding poultry birds good quality feed. The ProvimiBasemix concept has been specially designed with strict emphasis on least-cost feed formulation and highly competitive price-quality ratio.

Wienco has also introduced the 25kg bag Provimi maize, invested with the necessary micronutrients, to the Ghanaian market.

The product was jointly launched in Kumasi alongside a sensitisation workshop for players in the poultry industry such as farmers, input distributors, commercial feed manufacturers and government officials. It was designed to train the participants on the essentials of providing the best feed for poultry.

Mr. Marc Kok, Managing Director-Wienco, pledged the company’s commitment to transform Ghana’s poultry industry by introducing state-of-the-art input technologies.

He said quality poultry feed inputs guarantee the quality of poultry products, and therefore urged farmers to embrace Provimi to better their lot.

He also entreated farmers to imbibe the habit of developing business plans to aid their operations. He explained that business plan is very critical in the agriculture sector, saying “Ghanaian farmers can only subdue the volatile macro environment with long-term planning."

Mr. Abdul Razak Mohammed, Poultry Feed Technician of Wienco, said access to high-quality raw materials for feed preparation has been the major challenge for Ghanaian poultry farmers, hence the introduction of the Provimibasemix concept.

He noted that nutrition plays a major role in the profitability of poultry production, adding: “Feed accounts for up to 70% of total poultry product costs, and therefore the modern poultry industry aims at high production and better quality at a competitive cost.

“The goal of a feeding programme is to meet the nutrient needs of poultry birds, based on optimal performance, with a mixture of ingredients at the lowest cost. Achieving this goal requires the application of advanced technologies in feed formulation and selection of quality feed inputs,” he emphasised.

Mr. Morne Erasmus, Business Development Officer-Provimi, said their partnership with Wienco is not only targeted at increasing poultry production but is primarily to enhance the profitability of poultry farmers by making available practical and modern solutions to the problems impeding the industry.

He pointed out that the world is increasingly becoming more competitive in animal production, and Ghana can only match up through diversification of the sector with tried and tested technological advancements.

“To maximise efficiency and profitability in animal production, it is necessary to select a feeding programme designed to produce an animal or product that meets your market requirements and suits your own management system,” he indicated.

The Commodity Trading Manager-Wienco, Elorm Goh, told the B&FT Wienco supplies about 100,000 tonnes of maize to over 500 large-scale poultry farmers every year and it plans to increase supply to over 200,000 tonnes in the next two years.

She revealed that the company will from November this year provide the poultry farmer with a “one-stop shop” stocked with soya-bean meal, maize and concentrate at their warehouses in Tumu, Wa, Tamale, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tema.

In a related development, Wienco has held a seminar for poultry farmers and other industry players at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo Region. The seminar was aimed at educating and discussing with patrons the important elements of establishing the nutrient needs of birds and how best to improve their businesses.