Government has been urged to provide the needed support and encouragement to local livestock farmers to increase production and reduce the import of the animals, especially cattle, into the country.
Mr Michael Tungbani, Production Manager of the Kumasi Abattoir, who made the call, said the current shortage of cattle in the country was putting pressure on traders to import the animals from the nearby Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Kumasi, he said currently there was shortage of cattle at the abattoir.
He said the facility was expecting about 5,000 livestock ahead of the 2024 Eid Adha festivities.
However, due to the low local production most of the animals were being imported from the neighbouring countries into the facility for slaughter.
Mr Tungbani stressed the need for more investment in the local production of the animals to help bridge the gap and reduce the imports.
He said the facility was ready to provide efficient and hygienic services to ensu
re that meat on the market was safe and healthy for human consumption.
Mr Tungbani denied speculations that the abattoir had increased its service charges and said the company had no intention to increase its service charges ahead of the Eid Adah celebrations.
He called on the public to patronise the abattoir’s services to ensure that their meat was hygienic and safe for consumption.
Source: Ghana News Agency