From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
At least, 100 graduating students of the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, Plateau State, are being trained by Agriprojects Concept International Limited as village-based vaccinators for controlling Newcastle disease in village chickens in rural communities.
Provost of the College, Dr. Jude Okpara, who spoke to newsmen on the essence of the training, described Newcastle disease as a limiting factor in poultry production in the country and has been known to constitute more than 70 per cent of fatalities in birds.
He said: “This training is very important because the disease in question, I can say, is a limiting factor in poultry production in this country, and selecting Newcastle disease as a pilot programme is something that is very commendable. In almost every vicinity in this country, you have people and women, in particular, rearing these birds, most often between October and November every year. You can’t believe that more than 90 per cent of those birds are gone due to lack of proper veterinary care.
“Training these children with the aim of targeting and reaching the grassroots is in line with the food security agenda of the present administration and the benefits cannot be over-emphasised. These are graduates, who are selected based on their track records of dedication, uprightness, and most especially their interest in the husbandry.”
Okpara described Newcastle disease as an airborne endemic poultry disease prevalent in this country. He added that it could affect thousands of birds within minutes, saying if one of them is infected, it could have a mortality rate of up to 100 per cent. Head of Department, Animal Health of the college, Dr. Habbiba Momoh, described the training as very important, capable of creating jobs for the selected students. Technical Sales Representative of Agriprojects Concepts International Limited, Dr. Solomon Andy, said: “We chose to train them on Newcastle disease because Newcastle disease is a broader disease that constitutes one of the major challenges being faced by farmers in our communities and has affected farmers in devastating ways.
