“Let everybody join the war against bird flu in Nigeria”

By Seye Adeniyi

From left, Prof. Jonathan Babatola, Director,
Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for Organic Research and
Development (OOCORD), Otunba Masebolaje-Davies
and Barrister Niyi Ishola, Oyo State Commissioner for
Agriculture, during the commissioners’
visit to the Centre at Moor Plantation,
Ibadan.

FOR the battle against the deadly Avian Influenza, commonly referred to as Bird flu to be effective and won in the country, as all hands must be on deck to curtail its spread and possibly eradicate it completely.

A veterinary doctor, Dr. Deji Folutile, stated this while talking to members of the press during a programme organised by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on possible ways of eradicating the spread of the virus, prevent its transmission to humans, and prevent the disease hindering the progress already made in poultry farming.

According to the veterinarian, the battle against this viral disease which can also be contracted by human beings should not be left alone to government and other international agencies like UNICEF, WHO and FAO. He said every citizen must also see it as a challenge to public health, stressing, “if we have this in our consciousness and pursue the course vigorously, then the battle is half won.”

Dr. Folutile said people should not see it as a challenge for the poultry farmers and other stakeholders in poultry business since poultry is still one of the major sources of protein in Nigeria, adding that everybody must be familiar with the methods to fight the deadly virus.

On what farmers can do to help the government make the country free of the deadly virus, the director of the Foodchains Nigeria Limited, Agege, Lagos, said poultry farmers should not hesitate in reporting any incidence of bird flu outbreak in their farms or around their vicinity to the appropriate authorities.

According to him, “if they will not hide this important information, if the farmers will not try to cut corners by believing that they can treat or manage the disease on their own, if they will see it as a major responsibility in saving the life of people more than their investment, if they will see the issue as a major threat to public health, then bird flu will have no place in the country”.

The issue of Avian Influenza he stressed, should also be seen and treated like HIV in humans, that is been confronted and tackled by everybody, including the media, and which has led to a drastical reduction in its prevalence. “Avian Influenza should be treated like HIV/AIDS, both members of the public and the media professionals are tackling it from every angle and we can all see the positive effects of such a battle. Bird flu virus (H5NI)is also a dangerous disease, it should be seen like the HIV in animals, particularly in birds but with a difference in that, it can attack both birds and humans. So this should even make it a more important issue that needs the attention of everybody,” he advised.

On how poultry farmers can identify the outbreak of the disease in their farms, Dr. Folutile said, some of its clinical signs include coughing, depression among birds, reduction in eggs production as well as anorexia (decreased appetite) and other nervous problems.

Other things to watch out for in birds suffering from the attack of avian influenza include, swollen combs and wattles, which will change colour from bright red to either blue or purple; sneezing; diarrhoea and sudden death. All the above symptoms, he emphasised, are the high pathogenic avian influenza symptoms.

Symptoms of low pathogenic avian influenza include; mild respiratory disease, depression and decreased in egg production. While allaying the fear that eating chicken and other poultry products like eggs is dangerous, Dr. Folutile counselled that observing proper hygiene is the first law of protection against the disease. He said once people can thoroughly wash their hands before and after handling and processing poultry products, then there is no cause for fear.

The veterinarian also counselled on the need to cook poultry products very well before consumption, adding that, the bird flu virus (H5NI) is so fragile that it cannot withstand high temperature. “People need to be sensitised that apart from observing good hygiene after touching poultry products or carrying a birds, cooking and frying will definitely kill the virus. There is also no danger of infection from handling a healthy bird.

But nevertheless, to be on the safe side, everybody must observe personal hygiene, healthy food culture and personal protection,” he concluded.

Experts charge African governments on new price of rice

By Sade Oguntola

Rice is the world’s most important staple food crop. More than four-fifths of the world’s rice is produced and consumed by small-scale farmers in low-income and developing countries. More than half of the world’s population relies on rice as the major daily source of calories and protein.

The amount of rice consumed by each of these people ranges from 100 to 240 kg per year, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Much as during the Green Revolution (1966-1990), the increase in the world rice production resulted in more rice being available for consumption despite the continued increase in population, but there were still some 815 million people in the world suffering from hunger and malnutrition, and most of them live in areas that are dependent upon rice production for food, income, and employment based on FAO.

In recent years, the world’s rice production has especially suffered from the lack of investment in irrigation development and research work. This has slowed down the adoption of existing high yielding varieties (hybrid rice, for instance) and improved crop management techniques.

Similarly, genetic uniformity of modern rice varieties has render the crop more vulnerable to outbreaks of pests and diseases. This coupled with the erosion of genetic diversity due to the adoption of few improved varieties may limit the success of rice varietal improvement for higher yield, quality and resistance according to FAO experts.

Much as current approaches to intensification of rice production have caused considerable damage to the environment and related natural resources, including the building up of salinity/alkalinity, water pollution and health hazards caused by excessive use of agro-chemicals and emission of important greenhouse gases, proper management practices will certainly minimize these negative effects and will increase productivity, according to FAO.

The Director General of the Africa Rice Centre (WARDA), Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck, at the last the Third Annual Meeting of the Africa Policy Research and Advocacy Group held in Cotonou, Benin, expressed concern that the current world rice situation has serious implications, particularly for SSA, since about 40 per cent of the region’s demand for rice is being met by imports.

With only 13 per cent of world population, Africa accounts for 32 per cent of world rice imports, which makes it a big player in the international rice trade. In 2006, SSA imported more than 9 million tonnes of rice worth an estimated US$ 2 billion. Given that only 7 per cent of the total world rice production is for trade and that this supply is rather too limited for SSA to rely on it for its growing rice demand, WARDA Economist Dr Aliou Diagne said implies that “SSA should urgently reconsider its rice import policy to avoid the looming crisis.”

According to him, “African national rice economies will increasingly become exposed to unpredictable external supply and price shocks due to the current rise in prices of cereals and the low level of global cereals reserves could unleash widespread food riots in Africa.

For now, the prices of rice have already gone up in Thailand and Vietnam, the traditional rice exporters to Africa. However, Africa has an immense untapped potential for rice production. According to the FAO, the paddy (unhulled rice) production in Africa has gone up for the sixth consecutive year, reaching 21.6 million tonnes in 2006.But with rice consumption in West Africa – the rice belt of Africa – doubling every 9 years, the challenge of keeping up with it is immense.

This calls for urgent government support for African rice farmers. African governments should give adequate support to small farmers who form the majority of rice producers in SSA. Smallholder rice farmers in the region have been facing unfair competition from subsidized rice imports. It is one commodity that continues to be protected in every country except in West Africa.

Right policies to boost Africa’s rice sector are indeed essential to make African rice sector competitive. This is evident from the situation in Nigeria. The recent rice policies adopted by Nigeria as part of the Presidential Rice Initiative, Dr Akande Oyetunji, Director General, Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), corroborated boosted the country’s rice sector. Nigeria’s rice production was nearly 4 million tonnes in 2006, 10 per cent above the 2005 level.This policies similarly helped Nigeria to be able to reduce its rice imports in 2005 by over 800,000 tonnes.

With world’s rice production now especially suffering lots of setbacks due to several factors including lack of investment in irrigation development and research work, the many opportunities of production, especially with NERICA rice variety need to be looked into.

Many experts, including Dr Diagne believe that the rise in world rice prices is a golden opportunity for SSA, because this increases the competitiveness of Africa’s local rice sector.