The Eastern Region on Monday received 3,000 eight-weeks old chickens for distribution to selected farmers in nine districts under the National Cockerel Project to help boost poultry production and consumption in the area.
Mr Godwin Agbonyovia of the Animal Production Unit of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) said the presentation was the third consignment to the region since the beginning of the project in February this year.
Speaking at a ceremony in Koforidua to present the cockerels to the beneficiary District Directors of Agriculture, he said so far a total of 6,048 chickens had been provided to the region since the beginning of the year.
Mr Agbonyovia said in all 35, 000 eight-weeks old chickens had been distributed to all the five beneficiary regions in the country where the project was being implemented.
The regions are Greater Accra, Eastern, Western, Central and Volta.
Mr Agbonyovia indicated that under the second phase of the project, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions would be included in the project and the brooding process would be decentralized.
Mr James Yaw Asante, Eastern Regional Director of MOFA in-charge of Animal Production, said the objective of the project was to ensure food security, generate income and create business among those engaged in the project.
He said under the project, the selected farmers would be trained and the chickens would be sold to the farmers at GH� 2.50 per a bird and each farmer would be given 20 birds.
Mr Asante said the district directorates of MOFA were expected to monitor the farmers and provide the required services.
Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Eastern Regional Minister, urged the District Directors of Agriculture to liaise with their district assemblies to establish structures to brood day old chicks.
He said that would help increase the stock they would receive and get more farmers involved to help create employment.
He explained that the project could help increase the production of quality poultry products at reasonable prices for people in the region and charged the directors to train more farmers to help expand the project.