Federal Government gives farmers in Kano 100M as compensation for Bird flu outbreak.

 
 Poultry farmers in Kano State now has cause to smile as the federal government has stepped in, following the scourge of avian influenza in which thousands of birds were lost either due to deaths or depopulation exercise carried out to stop further spread of the disease. Announcing the payment of approved sum of N100million as compensation to farmers in Kano State, the minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said every farmer affected in the state has been compensated.


The minister, assuring that Nigerians need not panic as the situation is being brought under control, said, except only three farmers who don’t have bank accounts, all others have had their compensation paid into their bank accounts as at Friday last week. Since the beginning of reported cases of outbreak of avian influenza, otherwise known as bird flu, a couple of weeks ago, Kano State has had a fair share of infections involving 15 local government areas, the highest in any state.

On measures to bring the bird flu infection under control, Dr. Adesina assured that NVRI in Vom has done a lot and has been very helpful in diagnosing the problem. He assured that there was no cause for alarm, as “eating poultry is safe.” Since the beginning of recent cases of outbreak of bird flu, Kano State has had taken the greatest hit, with infections suspected or reported in 15 local government areas, and depopulation involving 69,303 birds, the highest in any state.

The minister who stressed the importance of the poultry industry said “Nigeria is the number one producer of egg in Africa.” He expressed concern that Kano had the largest number of mortality rates in the bird flu outbreak, but said that money has already been paid into the beneficiaries’ accounts. Representing the beneficiaries of the compensation, the Kano State chairman of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Aminu Adamu, described the compensation of affected farmers as “a good move by the federal government,” saying that “we appreciate it as farmers.” According to him, “not giving the compensation helps to spread the disease. For fear of losing, the owners sell their birds secretly to the birds markets.”

He noted that “Compensation always remedies and comforts, and gives a chance to start again. It encourages the people who have diseases to report quickly. Anybody that has birds with a disease will not hurry to put them into the market. I am happy they were given compensation.” He pledged his association’s continued efforts at sensitising fellow farmers on bio security.


Source: Leadership.ng