Government has currently approved GHS 22,000,000.00 to combat the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) popularly known as bird flu in the country.
The amount will also be invested in strengthening institutional capacity against any future occurrences.
Last year in July, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture reported that the disease had been recorded in seven regions; Upper West, Greater Accra, Central, Ashanti, Volta, Western, and Western North Regions. However, a recent report indicates that three more regions; Bono, Upper East and the Eastern Regions have recorded cases of bird flu.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto who revealed this while speaking at a press conference in Accra yesterday, explained that “the amount will cover vehicles, motorbikes, drugs among others that will make easy the work of some 550 veterinary officers whom government will recruit soon for effective prevention, detection and control of the disease in the country.”
According to him, these interventions will help contain the disease which has reached emergency proportions.
On his part, the Acting Director of the Veterinary Services Directorate, Dr. Patrick Abakah allayed the fears of Ghanaians who may refrain from buying poultry products for consumption because of the reported cases of bird flu.
“It is safe to eat poultry products in the system because our outfit gives movement permits to poultry farmers to transport only safe poultry products from one region to the other,” he said.
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SOURCE: Rosemond Asmah/ATLFMNEWS
