The second edition of the Poultry Value Chain Fair (PCVF) will be held in Sunyani in the Brong-Ahafo Region from March 21 to 22, 2018.

The week-long event will be on the theme: “Employment Creation along the Poultry Value Chain: the Public-Private Partnership approach.”

The fair is an initiative of the Ghana Poultry Project (GPP), which is a five-year project being funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress Program (FFP) and implemented by ACDI/VOCA and TechnoServe.

A statement from the organisers said the fair aims to increase the competitiveness of the domestic production and processing of poultry meat and eggs.

The fair also falls in line with government’s policy of encouraging private sector participation in the development of the agricultural sector It is being organised by the GPP, Assist Management in Poultry Layer Industry by Feed Improvement and Efficiency Strategy (AMPLIFIES), Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers (GNAPF) and Agrihouse Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).

The statement said given that Ghana barely produces about 25 percent of its domestic poultry consumption, the key objectives of the PVCF are to, among other things, create sustainable market linkages between the poultry value chain actors at both the supply and demand ends, as well as to provide poultry farmers with access to relatively cheaper/quality sources of inputs.

This is expected to result in a reduction of production cost and ultimately, lead to an increase in domestic production.

The event, is expected to draw over 1,500 participants, including farmers, traders, input suppliers, donor agencies, decision makers, among others, and will also serve s as a platform to dialogue on ways of growing the untapped potential of the industry.

The GPP currently works in selected areas in Ghana’s three largest poultry producing regions- the Brong Ahafo, Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions.

In the Brong Ahafo, the GPP operates in Dormaa, Sunyani, Techiman, Wenchi, Nkoranza and Berekum.

In Ashanti Region, it can also be found in Ejura Sekyeredumasi, Atwima Nwabiagya, Atwima Kwanwoman, Ejisu Juabeng, Ofinso North, Ofinso South, Kumasi Metro, while in the Greater Accra, it has presence in Accra Metro, Ga South, Ga East, Tema, Ada West and Dangbe East.

The theme for this year’s fair was deliberately chosen to highlights the importance of public-private partnerships to solving Ghana’s low poultry production challenges, and the need to emphasize collaborative approaches to increase not only quantity, but quality as well to boosting the sector. This could help improve food security, generate income and jobs for thousands of Ghanaian youth. GNA