• Ghana in talks with Brazil’s Nutroeste to boost livestock sector

• Partnership aims to improve feed tech, training, and sustainability

• High feed costs drive chicken imports, limiting local production
  

Ghana, through its embassy in Brazil, has begun talks with Brazilian animal feed manufacturer Nutroeste Nutrição Animal to strengthen its domestic livestock industry.

The partnership aims to modernize animal production by leveraging Brazilian nutritional expertise to improve the productivity and profitability of local farms, according to a statement released on Wednesday, Oct. 15, by Ghana's Ambassador to Brazil, Nii Amasah Namoale.

Planned cooperation under the potential partnership includes training Ghanaian technicians and farmers, transferring technology related to livestock feed formulation, and developing more sustainable and environmentally friendly farming systems.

"This initiative is part of the Ghanaian government's broader strategy to attract foreign investment into the livestock sector," the statement said.

The cost and accessibility of animal feed is a long-standing challenge in Ghana, particularly in poultry farming, where it is identified as a major factor limiting local chicken meat production. Over the past five years, the cost of raising broiler chickens has surged due to exploding feed prices, affecting both farmers who produce their own rations and commercial manufacturers.

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data reviewed by Agence Ecofin, the price of a 50-kilogram bag of corn quintupled between 2019 and 2023, reaching 227 cedis. Prices for the same quantities of starter and finisher feeds, as well as soybean meal, more than tripled over the same period.

Consequently, chicken imports have risen sharply over the last decade due to lower prices compared to local offerings. In 2024, Ghana imported nearly 270,000 metric tons of chicken meat, which accounted for approximately 80% of its consumption needs, estimated by the USDA at 340,000 tons.

Future developments will determine whether the potential partnership with Nutroeste Nutrição Animal results in concrete actions to support Ghana's local animal feed industry.

Stéphanas Assocle