Bolgatanga, March 18, GNA - The Guinea fowl Farmers Association in the Upper East Region has appealed to the Government and Non-Governmental Organizations to support them with capital and other necessary logistics to help them expand their farms. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, in an interview, after the inauguration of the association, in the region, the Patron of the Association, Mr. Suhuyini Suuribataribin, explained that guinea fowl rearing, when given the necessary support, has the potential of contributing to the reduction of poverty in the Region.

He indicated that if guinea fowl farmers were provided with the appropriate technology it could help address the poverty situation in the area and indicated that guinea fowl meat was a delicacy and when handled well could be exported for foreign exchange. He pointed out that in the 1960s the industry enjoyed a major boost when large quantities were transported from the region to the southern sector of the country for sale but the industry suffered a major setback.

He was, however, glad that it was being revamped as some of the farmers had come together to design and build local incubators that use electricity and kerosene for production. Mr. Suuribataribin said a group of farmers had come together to form a hatchery that had the capacity to hatch about 2000 chicks for supply to farmers in the Region. The Patron added that a graduate from the University for Development Studies, Mr. Suhuyini Nicholas, had manufactured a feed concentrate for his research project, which was being used by some of the farmers for production.

He urged members of the Association to make it vibrant to enable it to seek support from the Government and NGOs and told the farmers that there were some organizations that were prepared and were ready to support members of the Association if only they were formidable in character. 18 March 09