Bird flu: FG begins payment to victims in 3rd batch

Third batch of poultry farmers affected by bird flu attack in Kano State have started receiving compensation as promised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture as part of the FG’s commitment to agricultural development in the nation. Speaking to newsmen in Kano, Chairman Kano State Poultry Farmers Association, Dr. Muhammad Auwal Haruna, stated that, in […]

Third batch of poultry farmers affected by bird flu attack in Kano State have started receiving compensation as promised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture as part of the FG’s commitment to agricultural development in the nation.
Speaking to newsmen in Kano, Chairman Kano State Poultry Farmers Association, Dr. Muhammad Auwal Haruna, stated that, in February, 1st batch of payment was done when the Federal Ministry of Agriculture approved the payment of N100 million as compensation to affected farmers in the state after the initial discovery of the outbreak of the avian influenza in Kano in January. 
He added that even though the payment seems to be delayed, the second batch was also carried out and now the third batch is in progress.
The Chairman also pleaded with the federal government to create a special package that will take care of the heavily affected farmers as most of these farmers are now rendered helpless and their business threatened.
“It is indeed very sad to see farmers, who have heavy investment in poultry farming now living in a shadow of their former selves. Most of them have narrowed their farms operation into a cottage type, and that is why we are appealing to government to create a special package that will take care of the heavily affected farmers in order to make them more active in the business,” pleaded the chairman.
It could be recalled that in February, former minister of agriculture and rural development, Mr. Akinwumi Adesina, confirmed that 299,883 birds out of 417,041 depopulated nationwide as a result of the outbreak of the Avian Influenza are from Kano State thereby making the state the highest in terms of number of birds depopulated.