Ghana, US collaborate to increase poultry consumption
Ghana's poultry imports from the United States (US) increased from 38,000 metric tons in 2015 to 41,000 tonnes in 2016.
That was, however, a drastic reduction from the 130,000 tonnes imported in 2014.
The USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEC) Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Ms Zelda Sharp, said the council had joined forces with its Ghanaian counterpart, the Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers (GNAPF), to increase poultry consumption in the country.
“What we have done is not just to promote American poultry products but local Ghanaian products in an effort to try and help the Ghanaian poultry industry,” she said.
Ms Sharp, who was speaking to the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the third edition of the Ghanaian American Chicken Recipe Competition in Accra yesterday, said the council decided to collaborate with GNAPF as part of the Ghana Broiler Revitalisation Project.
Broiler Project
The project, aimed at boosting local capacity in the production, processing and marketing of broiler chicken, was targeted to produce 30,000 tonnes of broiler meat with an expected increase to 60,000 tonnes by the year 2016.
It was also to develop the industry along the poultry value chain and ensure that production farms, input suppliers, hatcheries, feed mills, veterinary service producers, processors, marketers/cold stores and consumers played their roles to ensure self-sufficiency.
Touching on the competition, she said it was meant to increase consumer’s interest in poultry production, as well as help students in the hospitality industry to know more about poultry and the difference between American, Ghanaian and poultry from elsewhere.
“There are pros and cons of poultry imports and local production and everybody wants agriculture to grow, but the bottom line is people need to eat and food security is very important,” she said.
The competition
Catering and hospitality students from seven technical universities are contesting for the title of who cooks the best dishes from chicken recipes.
The competition, organised jointly by the USAPEC and GNAFS, brought together catering and hospital management students from the Koforidua, Takoradi, Tamale, Bolgatanga, Sunyani, Cape Coast and Accra technical universities.
The competition started at the seven campuses where the winners were selected to contest at the national level. The national winner would travel to the New York Culinary Institute for two weeks to pursue any course of their choice for two weeks.
According to the Senior Director of the USAPEC in charge of European Union/Middle East/ Africa, Ms Jean Murphy, the competition had been exciting.
“It has been great. The students are creative and very exciting. It is an interesting comparison of how chicken is prepared in Ghana and America; we also want to find out how Ghanaian and America chicken taste when we use the same ingredients to prepare,” she said.
The contestants were made to cook two different dishes using local and American chicken.
To win the trip to New York, the contestant must impress with both dishes.
