Former Deputy Minister of Agriculture, George Oduro, said that chicken farmers in the nation had refused the government's interest-free loan, which was designed to help farmers rescue the country's crippled poultry sector.
A documentary on Ghana's chicken industry broadcast a few days ago on Akan Brands of Multimedia.
Asuk)d) identified many issues that farmers confront that require immediate response; else, the sector would not be able to survive in the next decade.
In response to the documentary and how the government intended to assist farmers, Mr Oduro, the Advisor to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, said the government attempted to assist industry participants with interest-free loans, but farmers did not demonstrate desire.
"What the poultry farmers need now is capital to invest in their business," he explained. "However, the Ministry of Finance met with the farmers and informed them that the Agric Ministry had received their share of the Ghana Care Obantapa Program, which was introduced by the president to help sustain businesses due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so the farmers were told to go to their various banks for loans and the government would pay the interest," he added.
On Adom TV's Current Affairs Program The Big Agenda, presented by Nana Osei Ampofo Adjei, President of the Poultry Framers Association of Ghana, Victor Oppong Adjei, responded to this assertion by saying that what the minister claimed was not the fact.
"If the former Minister says government, I will be disappointed in him."
Mr Adjei remarked, "I will be disappointed in the previous Minister if he says the government invited us to take out interest-free loans, but we rejected."
According to him, the Ministry met with poultry farmers to educate them on a program that the government is putting in place to allow farmers to take out loans from their banks and have the government pay the interest, but the meeting was not completed and they have not heard from the Ministry since.
"How can you urge me to take out a bank loan so you can pay the interest without giving me a paper to show my bank as proof?" Mr. Adjei interrogated.
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