Improving broiler farm competitiveness in Ghana and Senegal: insights from comparative analysis with Germany and the Netherlands

Abstract Background Chicken meat plays a crucial role in food and nutrition security across many African countries, serving as an affordable and high-quality source of animal protein. Driven by population growth and economic development, the demand for chicken meat in African countries has increased, resulting in significant gaps between supply and demand. To address this imbalance, several countries have turned to importing larger quantities of frozen chicken meat. However, concerns have been raised regarding these imports, as low-cost chicken meat entering African markets is seen as potentially disruptive to local markets. The study employs the typical farm approach, utilizing synthetic farms known as ‘typical farms’, to measure the competitiveness of broiler farms in Ghana (a country which is highly reliant on imports) and Senegal (a country with a complete import ban), relative to farms in European countries (Germany and the Netherland) that are significant exporters of chicken meat. Results The study revealed that typical broiler farms in Ghana and Senegal are less competitive than those in Germany and the Netherlands due to lower farm performance (e.g. higher Feed Conversion Ratios and mortality rates) and higher cost of production. Typical Ghanaian broiler farms face substantial cost disadvantages. Their production costs are 180% to 219% higher than the typical German farm and 144% to 178% higher than the typical Dutch farm. While Senegalese farms perform somewhat better, they still lag behind the typical German and Dutch farms, with production costs 39% to 90% higher than the typical German farm and 21% to 66% higher than the typical Dutch farm, respectively. Furthermore, farm-level modeling indicates that improving farm performance alone may not sufficiently reduce production costs in Ghana and Senegal to levels comparable with those in Germany and the Netherlands. Conclusions The study concludes that improved farm management practices and lower input prices are necessary to improve the competitiveness of broiler farms in Ghana and Senegal. Additionally, small-scale producers, who are least competitive, require targeted support in order to increase their competitiveness.