Agriculture
Patronage Of Poultry Products Rises
Despite the reported
outbreak of the Avian Influenza (bird flu) in Rivers State a fortnight ago, residents of Port Harcourt still patronize poultry dealers in parts of Port Harcourt without fear.
According to investigations carried out by our correspondent at Mile One and Mile Three Markets, sellers and buyers were seen haggling prices of birds.
A bird seller at Mile One market, Boniface Onyeoma who spoke to our correspondent explained that though he had heard about the bird flu outbreak he had never recorded low sales.
According to him, people seem not to care so long as the birds were healthy. When asked if he was aware of the reported outbreak of the disease in the state a customer who was holding a bird retorted, “my brother I will cook it properly before eating.”
The customer who would not give his name said it seems everything is being politicised so nobody listens to government anymore.
At Mile Three Market, our correspondent also saw customers buying birds with much gusto. Some of them especially women, who spoke to him explained that chicken was the preferred meat in their homes.
They explained that chicken was better than beef or red meat since according to them such meat was white.
Asked if they were not scared of the bird flu outbreak, one of them who gave her name as Aunty Joy said sicknesses were not exclusive to birds alone. She said she was not afraid so long as the birds were healthy even as she said nobody consumes raw meat.
It could be recalled that the Rivers State Government reported the outbreak of the bird flu at a poultry farm in the state.
However, the state Commissioner of Agriculture, Emma Chinda explained then that farms identified had been quarantined while the state government was on top of the situation.
Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture, Emmanuel Chindah (right) with Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs Otonyetarie Okoye during the 2014 World Food Day celebration in Port Harcourt.
Federal Government and the Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, distributed farm inputs to farmers as part of effort to address food security challenge.
The State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, during the flag-off ceremony of Inputs Redemption Under The National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), in Ogun State, disclosed that beneficiaries of the gesture were primarily rice, maize and cassava farmers across the State.
Ayo-Ajayi commended the Ogun State Government for partnering with the government at the centre for the effort in supporting farmers with inputs that would bring about yieldings for local consumption and likely exportation.
She noted that government is supporting rice, cassava and maize farmers with inputs worth N212,000; N189,000 and N186,000 respectively.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kehinde Jokotoye, who represented the Commissioner in the Ministry, Bolu Owotomo, stated that traditional farmers are critical in food production, hence the need to encourage and support them with inputs that would bring about desired results during harvesting.
Owotomo said: “Let us make good use of this opportunity, so that the success of this phase will make farmers benefit more from the state and federal governments of Nigeria.”
Earlier, State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Ayo-Ajayi, appreciated the present administration for partnering with the federal government for the initiative, adding that the programme is designed to support farmers at the grassroots level in cassava, rice and maize with inputs such as, seeds, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, to boost their production and enhance their livelihood.