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Smallholder poultry farmers across three selected regions – Ashanti, Greater Accra and Brong-Ahafo are to benefit from free veterinary services under the Ghana Poultry Project (GPP).

One hundred and sixty-six (166) community animal health workers have been trained for the purpose – to administer vaccination against the Newcastle disease in poultry producing households.

They have been supplied with toolkits – cold boxes, rain and laboratory coats, bicycles, biosafety sandals, disposable bags, torch lights, batteries and eardrop applicator to perform the assigned task.

Speaking at a ceremony held to hand over to the community animal health workers in Ashanti with their toolkits, Mr. Kweku Bombason Tuoho, Value Chain Team Leader of the GPP, said it was being funded by the United States (US) Department of Agriculture.

He added that the project “seeks to strengthen the capacity of veterinary service providers and input dealers to expand their reach to commercial and smallholder poultry farmers.

He indicated that the smallholder farmers – engaged mainly in raising indigenous poultry, had been producing in excess of 80 per cent of the country’s poultry.

Mr. Tuoho said disease outbreaks, particularly, that of the Newcastle among their birds therefore tended to have significant impact not just on households but the commercial farms.

It was against this background that there was the need to ensure that these farmers had access to effective and affordable veterinary services.

He expressed confidence that the intervention would tremendously aid the growth of the sector.
He stated that the project would be working closely with the Veterinary Service Department (VSD) to achieve the intended outcomes.

Dr. Emmanuel Edward Effah, the Ashanti Regional Director of the VSD, applauded the US Government for funding the project, which he labeled as “a key intervention in the poultry sector”.

He said the Newcastle disease had been and continued to be one of the major threats to the poultry industry.