It may affect chicken prices during yuletide – Farmer
In the last two weeks, poultry farmers have been having sleepless nights over reported cases of Avian Influenza (bird flu) in some states.
Last week, the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos State chapter, lamented the economic implication of the recent outbreak in the country and called on the government for more assistance.
In an interview with newsmen in Lagos, Mr Godwin Egbegbe, the Lagos chapter chairman, noted that the outbreak of the disease resulted in the closure of many poultry farms, in addition to the increasing cost of feed.
“The economic implications of bird flu are enormous and have grossly affected the poultry subsector since its outbreak this year. Once the flu hits a farm, it usually leads to high mortality amongst the birds and the consequent shut down of the infected farm to forestall spread. With this, the poultry farmer is already running at a loss.
“The poultry industry is really not in the best of times presently because, aside the bird flu, the increasing cost of feeds has also destabilised the sector,” he said.
Mr Joel Oduware, a poultry farmer and processor, blamed the outbreak of the bird flu on the smuggling of almost hatched eggs, warning farmers to be wary of where they source their eggs.
He said, “The bird flu outbreak may have begun from the genetic breeder flock and spread to the commercial breeder flock. So farmers should be wary of where they get ‘hatchable’ eggs.’’ He added that it could be counterproductive when hit by bird flu, which may result in huge economic losses.
He said the importation of non-regulated ‘hatchable’ eggs into the country may also be a reason for the outbreak of the disease in some parts of Nigeria.
In Lagos, a poultry farmer, Mr Emmanuel Iregbeyen, the managing director of Emiraz Farms Ltd., said the recent outbreak of bird flu in the country may affect the availability of poultry products in the coming yuletide.
He said the predicted scarcity of birds during the yuletide would be as a result of losses incurred by farmers due to high mortality rate of their birds owing to the outbreak of bird flu.
“About 70 per cent of poultry farmers in our settlements have been affected by the flu outbreak. We are only operating at 30 per cent capacity now. It has not really been a pleasant experience for us, with heavy losses on all sides. The affected farmers are barely trying to survive,’’ Iregbeyen said.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria that due to the outbreak of the disease, farmers have been advised not to stock new birds.
“Under a normal circumstance, by this time of the year we are meant to be experiencing egg-glut, but with the bird flu, it is not noticeable now. We are only anticipating scarcity of birds by December as affected farmers have been advised not to stock anything new because of the outbreak.
“There is likely going to be a scarcity of poultry products during the yuletide, season and that is the position for now,” he said.
The Delta State Government, on Wednesday confirmed the outbreak of the disease, with 164,173 birds reported dead, according to the Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Mr Julius Egbedi.
He said the state government had taken action to curtail the spread of the disease, but added that so far, some poultry farms across seven local government areas of the state had been affected.
The commissioner said the affected farms were located in Sapele, Udu, Ughelli North, Ughelli South, Oshimili South and Okpe local government areas.
Egbedi advised residents of the state not to panic, saying the government is working round the clock to ensure that the disease is curtailed.
In Kwara State, government has tasked livestock farmers and stakeholders in poultry business to improve bio-security network in their farms.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Yisa Gideon gave the charge in a statement issued by the director of veterinary service in the ministry, Dr Abdulateef Olugbon.
Gideon said the call had become necessary in order to prevent the spread of the disease in the state.
The commissioner explained that public sensitisation had become imperative due to the devastating nature of the disease to livestock business and its implications on the populace.
He encouraged poultry farmers to source for new poultry stocks outside the affected states and ensure restriction of movement of visitors to their farms.
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