Accra, July 15, GNA - Mr Kwadwo Asante, Chairman of Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers has called for Save Our Soul (SOS) measures to prevent the poultry industry from collapsing.

He said the SOS should include the banning of imported chicken and chicken products, flexible loan facilities and provision of financial support to propel the farmers back to business.

Mr Asante who made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra said he had presented similar proposals to Vice President John Dramani Mahama.

He explained that a ban on imported poultry would protect local farms and reduce the risk of diseases.

"In the Ivory Coast, Togo and Nigeria, their governments have banned the importation of poultry products and their local industries are flourishing. I believe that if a similar thing is done in Ghana our industry will also survive to provide better services," he said.

Mr Asante said high bank loan interest rates coupled with the importation of more than five-year old poultry products from other countries had hampered the industry.

He said the industry players needs recapitalisation to survive adding: "We have already presented our proposals to government and until we receive positive results, most farms will have to fold up because of cheap and unwholesome importation of chicken into the country."

The National Chairman said the association is bent on providing 'live-bird' markets throughout the country, where the fowls could be bought and processed at a much cheaper cost.

He called on financial institutions to be flexible towards its members to achieve their targets.

Mr Asante asked the Food and Drug Board to enforce the ban on the importation of turkey parts especially turkey tail (Tsofi) as people are still trading in the products.

He said chicken in Ghana is rated as the best in the West African sub-region, but the influx of the imported products had rendered the local products more expensive than the "cheap and unwholesome chicken".