I built 22,000 birds from humble beginnings – Adu Ababio

&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Ghanaian poultry farmer Adu Ababio has shared how he built a 22&comma;000-bird poultry enterprise from humble beginnings after initially viewing farming as a form of punishment&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Mr Ababio&comma; Chief Executive Officer of Eadu Tanta Farms and Training Center in Kumasi&comma; said his journey into agriculture was driven by his childhood fascination with animals and the encouragement of his mother&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">He established Eadu Tanta Farms in 2019 and has since expanded the operation to about 22&comma;000 birds&comma; comprising layers and broilers&period; He has also trained and supported the establishment of more than 200 farms in Ghana and beyond&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">According to Mr Ababio&comma; farming was not part of his original career plans&period; Growing up in Abetifi-Kwahu&comma; he associated farming with hardship and dreamed instead of becoming a bank manager&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">However&comma; his strong interest in animals from the age of seven eventually changed his career path&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">He said his mother recognised his natural ability with animals and encouraged him to pursue agriculture&period; He later studied Agricultural Science at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology &lpar;KNUST&rpar;&comma; where he began to understand how his childhood interest could become a profession&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Mr Ababio said establishing his farm was challenging&comma; particularly because he lacked sufficient capital&period;<br><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;mystorymagazine&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2026&sol;08&sol;photo&lowbar;2026-08-16&lowbar;16-38-27&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-10948"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">At one point&comma; he struggled to afford feed for his birds&comma; forcing his wife to sacrifice her monthly National Service allowance to help keep the business running&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Despite the difficulties&comma; the farm continued to grow&comma; eventually reaching its current 22&comma;000-bird capacity&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">For Mr Ababio&comma; one of the biggest lessons from his journey is that knowledge and determination can be valuable forms of capital&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;When you see yourself as the capital&comma; you focus on becoming more valuable every day&comma;” he said&comma; explaining how training&comma; mentorship and continuous learning helped him overcome financial limitations&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Mr Ababio identified the high cost of poultry feed as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers in Ghana&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">He said feed accounts for about 65 to 70 percent of total production costs&comma; while labour and disease outbreaks also pose significant challenges&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">He stressed the importance of biosecurity and timely vaccination to prevent diseases such as Newcastle Disease&comma; Infectious Bronchitis&comma; Coccidiosis and Fowl Cholera&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">He also urged young people interested in poultry farming to start small&comma; gain practical experience and invest in training before expanding their operations&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">He recommended starting with between 300 and 700 birds while developing proper management&comma; record-keeping and disease-control systems&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Mr Ababio further called for stronger support for Ghana&&num;8217&semi;s poultry industry&comma; particularly through investment in local feed production&comma; agricultural financing&comma; veterinary services and stronger market connections&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">He expressed concern about the continued importation of frozen chicken&comma; saying it undermines local poultry farmers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Looking ahead&comma; he wants to train thousands of farmers across Ghana and West Africa&comma; while expanding into integrated farming and value-added poultry products&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">His ultimate goal&comma; he said&comma; is to help young Ghanaians see agriculture not as a last resort&comma; but as a viable and profitable career&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

Exit mobile version