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.