BTA Admin Ghana has started exporting eggs to Burkina Faso as the government seeks new markets for a growing domestic surplus that local producers have struggled to absorb.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, said the exports followed negotiations with Burkina Faso after President John Dramani Mahama directed him and the Minister for Trade to secure access to the neighbouring country’s market.
According to Mr Opoku, the government’s intervention helped clear trucks carrying eggs that had been waiting at the border for permission to enter Burkina Faso.
“Immediately after our negotiations, they allowed all of them to enter; and since then, Ghana has been exporting eggs to Burkina Faso,” he said.
However, the minister acknowledged that exports alone were not enough to absorb the surplus, prompting the government to pursue additional ways to increase domestic consumption.
Government targets School Feeding Programme
One of the measures under consideration is the inclusion of eggs in meals served under the government’s School Feeding Programme.
Mr Opoku said his ministry was working with the Minister for Education to implement the directive from the President.
The move could create a more reliable domestic market for poultry farmers by increasing institutional demand for locally produced eggs.
For producers facing excess supply, expanding consumption through public programmes could help provide an additional outlet for their products.
New poultry processing facility planned for Bechem
The minister disclosed the measures during an inspection of a poultry, meat and feed processing facility under construction at Bechem in the Ahafo Region.
The facility is expected to have two processing lines — one for broilers and another for layers — with a combined processing capacity of 6,000 birds per hour.
To maintain a steady supply of birds, the government plans to establish contractual arrangements with poultry farmers in the Ashanti, Upper East and surrounding regions.
Under the proposed arrangements, the facility will purchase and process birds supplied by participating farmers for sale in the market.
Hatchery, feed mill and cold storage included
The project will also include three cold rooms, a feed mill and a hatchery designed to support poultry production and improve the sustainability of the programme.
According to Mr Opoku, the hatchery will produce birds for distribution to farmers, who will subsequently supply the processing facility.
The government is also procuring two trucks to distribute the factory’s packaged and branded products to the market.
Together, these facilities are intended to support the poultry value chain, from the supply of birds and feed to processing, storage and distribution.
Facility expected to open in early 2027
Mr Opoku said construction was approximately 50% complete and that outstanding certificates had been paid despite earlier delays.
He added that the contractor had assured the government that the facility would be completed and operational by the end of the first quarter of 2027.
Can exports and local demand solve Ghana’s egg surplus?
Ghana’s efforts to export eggs and expand institutional consumption reflect a broader challenge for poultry producers: finding dependable markets for their output.
Burkina Faso offers an export destination, while the proposed School Feeding Programme could provide an additional domestic buyer. The processing facility could also create a structured market for poultry farmers by linking production to processing and distribution.
However, the extent to which these measures will resolve the surplus will depend on the volume of eggs exported, the scale of local demand and how effectively the planned processing and supply arrangements operate.
For Ghana’s poultry industry, the central question is whether these initiatives can turn excess production into sustainable income for farmers while strengthening the country’s domestic poultry market.
