ASABA/Nigeria: In a bid to promote and improve the production of piggery and poultry in the State, the Delta State Government has distributed environment-friendly and effective disinfectants to 100 pig and poultry farmers in the state to ensure the production of high quality meat for export.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Julius Egbedi, while addressing the beneficiaries, stated that most farmers neglect the use of disinfectant as basic input in animal health and production.
According to the commissioner who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Sir, Austin Oghoro, the objective of distributing the disinfectants was to ensure and eliminate environmental microbial burden, adding that it would allow for improved health and productivity through effective and economic use of medication.
“The global management of the environment recognizes the need to control animal pests without causing damage to the environment.
“The gesture is to encourage farmers to spend more on disinfectant rather than on drugs especially antibiotics for health reasons and to enable our meat and meat products gain acceptance in the international market.
“The world antibiotics week celebrated recently was to draw public attention to the increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics and its consequences; Antibiotics should be the last resort and based on prescription only,” the commissioner said.
Hon. Egbedi who thanked the state government for the initiative urged the farmers to reciprocate government gesture by maintaining high hygiene levels in their farms.
In his address, the State Director of Veterinary in the ministry, Dr Charles Diai, said that the distribution of the disinfectant was one of the several supports the state government had giving to farmers in the state.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture, Hon. Jerry Ossai, who is also the State Chairman, Pig Farmers Association of Nigeria and Mr Fidelis Ekoemweye, State Financial Secretary, Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria, lauded the state government for the support.
The beneficiaries pledged their resolved to put the disinfectant into good use to justify the state government’s effort and ensure high quality meat production in the state to meet international standards.
The highpoint of the event was the distribution of the 10 litres of CID20 to each of the pig and poultry farmers to be diluted at the rate of 1:400, will make up 4,000 litres of solution, which the commissioner stated was enough to sustain an average farm for between 6 and 12 months depending of the size of the farm.”
