The Effect Of Micro-credit On Livelihood And Poultry Industry

Globally poultry meat supply has experienced a rapid growth in production, consumption, and trade since the mid 1980's. Most of the growth in production is attributed to intensification of production through much investment, vertical integration of the industry, relatively low feed prices and increase in the middle class. Consumption of Animal protein is linked to increase income. Farmers as clairvoyant as they are especially in Africa realizing, the changing trend has made giant steps to invest in this area towards economic emancipation but for lack or inadequate financial assistance the vision is in limbo. Thus, the formal banking sector assumes that, small scale poultry farmers in developing countries like Ghana, are not creditworthy because they lack the collateral and therefore, refuse them access to credit resulting in most small-scale agro enterprises either folding up or are operating at very low uneconomic levels. Many connoisseurs in the industry have argued if poultry industry is to survive and operate at an economical level like any other business then financial assistance is needed but will that have effect on the livelihood of the farmers and the industry as a whole?