Perm Sec Explains Delay In Poultry Farmers’ Payment

The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, (FMARD), Arc Sonny Echono, has said that the federal government may suspend the payment of compensation to poultry farmers whose farms were infected by the Avian Influenza (AI) popularly called bird flu pending when substantial progress on bio-security and other containment measures are put in place by the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) and the various state veterinary services.
In a statement obtained by our correspondent recently at the Federal Secretariat in Port Harcourt, the permanent secretary who spoke with stakeholders at a meeting held in the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja said about N380 million had already been paid to about 138 farmers.
He said while N643 million has been totally committed as compensation to 246 poultry farmers, 476 million was still required for the payment of compensation to the remaining 250 poultry farmers.
Also, a statement endorsed by the ministry’s Director of Information, Tony Ohaeri, explained that the federal government has noted with concern the discouraging disposition of PAN in the states in assisting state officials in efforts aimed at curtailing the spread of the disease.
He said such co-operations was needed in the creation of adequate sensitization and awareness among poultry farmers.
Echono emphasized the need for proper sensitization of the control of bird flu, proper adherence to on-farm bio-security, registrations of farms with State Directorate of Veterinary Services, and non –transportation of birds without authorization of state veterinary services.
He insisted that poultry farmers must adhere to government policy on non-vaccination against the disease and enforcing the restocking policy on affected farms.
The Permanent Secretary said the Ministry in collaboration with USAID and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) had conducted series of trainings and capacity building workshops on bird flu for federal, state and local government officials amongst others.
Echono further solicited the support of stakeholders in the renewed effort at controlling the spread of the bird flu virus, saying the role played by each stakeholder in the sector to control the disease becomes very critical to the overall success in the containment effort.
He attributed the new outbreaks of between July and September in Lagos, Rivers, Oyo, Ogun, Enugu, Abia and the FCT to non-compliance with bio-security measures in farms, disregard to public policy on the citing of farms amongst others.