Basoro (Ash), Aug. 23, GNA - Government is instituting measures to restrict the importation of poultry products into the country. Mr Kwamena Bartels, Minister of Private Sector Development and President's Special Initiatives (PSI), who announced this, said most of the imported chicken products had spent between three to five years in cold stores in their original countries before they were imported into the country.

"Some also have huge fat content, which is not good for human consumption."

Mr Bartels announced this after visiting the Akate Farms hatchery at Basoro in the Kwabre District on Tuesday as part of his day's working visit to the Ashanti Region.

The Farms, which has about 245,000 layers, also produces 80,000 chicks a week.

Mr Bartels said the government was giving the local poultry farmers the necessary support to enable them to expand their farms and enter into the production of broilers, which had been abandoned by the farmers due to the excessive inflow of imported chicken.

He said the government had this year imported quantities of yellow maize to assist poultry farmers, adding that, the government was determined to protect the local industry to produce enough to meet local demand.

Mr Bartels also cut the sod for the nursery work on the PSI on Oil Palm at Kumawu in the Sekyere East District to begin.

The nursery project, which is being undertaken by Sparrow Plantation Limited and the Oil Palm Research Institute, will support farmers who will take advantage of the PSI on Oil Palm in the area. The Kumawu Traditional Council has already released about 19,000 hectares of land to support the project.

Mr Bartels commended the chiefs and people for the land and said the introduction of the project would help create jobs for the people. He appealed to other chiefs to emulate the gesture of the Kumawuhene, Barima Asumadu Sakyi and offer lands to support the PSI. Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister, appealed to the youth in the area to embrace the project and get involved to improve their living conditions.

Barima Asumadu Sakyi said the people were in full support of the project and expressed the hope that the government would expedite action to enable interested persons to take advantage of it. Mr Akwasi Poku, Co-ordinator of PSI on Oil Palm, urged the District Assembly to assist the nursery project to ensure its success.