Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has encouraged beneficiaries of the government’s flagship agricultural program, ‘Nkoko Nkitinkiti’ to consume some of the birds they rear while selling and reinvesting the proceeds from the rest.

He explained that the programme is aimed at improving household food and nutrition security by ensuring families have direct access to poultry products.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews monitored by GhanaWeb on July 13, 2026, he said beneficiaries should not keep all the birds and continue purchasing chicken from the market when they have their own supply.

“When the people are rearing the birds, they will now have to eat some of the birds. But they don’t have to eat all; they have to sell some and then reinvest some,” he said.

'Nkoko Nkitinkiti': Eating the birds defeats the programme's purpose - Agric Minister

Opoku said he made a similar caution when he appeared before Parliament, noting that beneficiaries must balance consumption with sustainability.

“Once you have been considered and given even 10, 20, 50, whatever you are given, you have the rights, you are a human being. You cannot leave the birds there and then go to the market to buy chicken to come and eat once you have it,” he added.

He, however, clarified that there is no specific number of birds beneficiaries are required to consume, saying households will determine how many they need based on their circumstances.

The project is expected to cut the 300 million dollars Ghana spends annually on importing frozen chicken.

The 'Nkoko Nkitinkiti' project formed a key part of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2024 campaign plan designed to drive agricultural transformation, food sovereignty, and shared prosperity.

It is expected to cut the 300 million dollars Ghana spends annually on importing frozen chicken.

JKB/VPO

'Stop dumping refuse into gutters' - President Mahama cautions Ghanaians