Business
PAN Bemoans Absence Of Vet Clinics In Rivers

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water resource, Mr Musa Istifanus (left), discussing with the keynote speaker, Mr Raanan Adin, at the 2015 WAIEC Exhibition and Conference in Abuja recently.
Members of the Poultry Association of Nigeria in Rivers State, have registered their displeasure over a lack of functional and well equipped veterinary clinics and doctors in the state.
In a remark by the Chairman of Poultry Association of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter, Dr. Raphael Awotunde, during a courtesy visit of the association on the State Commissioner for Agriculture in Port Harcourt yesterday, the body explained that in the 1980’s, the state had a reasonable number of vet clinics located at strategic places in the state such as Aba Road, Oyigbo, Bori, Ahoada etc which were well-equipped with staff and materials.
It therefore, regretted that the state which hitherto boasted of functional vet clinics and doctors’ which served both the urban and rural farmers, no longer has a functional vet clinic while the great population of vet doctors is now reduced to only two in the service of the state government.
It therefore called on the Rivers State Government to respond positively in this regard.
Responding, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Otonye Okoye, who stood in for the agric commissioner assured the PAN members of the state government’s preparedness to alleviate the plight of farmers in the state, pointing out that Rivers State government is already working out modalities on having more vet doctors on its payroll as well as establishing functional vet clinics across the state.
She advised farmers to collaborate among themselves for self-assistance rather than waiting on the government which is already saddled with great responsibilities and with lean fund.
Members of the poultry association had earlier enumerated their challenges while calling on the Ministry of Agriculture to among others, take up its statutory role in the registration and regulation of farms in Rivers State.
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