Suspected outbreak of Bird Flu in Kachia

When the going was good...

By Dangwa Danjuma

A strange disease suspected to be bird flu  has been reported in Ankwa, a district in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna state, killing chickens in their hundreds on daily basis in poultries that dot the area.

Our correspondent who visited the area during the week  reports that chickens are dying daily in droves. Thomas Tambaya, a poultry farmer in Ankwa said of the strange disease:  "I have lost count of the chickens I have lost to this strange disease. My household is struggling to sustain the surviving birds now", Tambaya remarked, maintaining that his community can no more make those marginal profits from domestic poultry products as before in the area.

Another farmer in the area, told Cubinks that he had to focus more on his layers in far away Gumel, as the locally grown chickens he keeps in Pa chiki are being lost to the strange disease. 

To aggravate matters in the area affected by this disease, bacterial blackspot disease is ravaging fruits such as mangoes, oranges and guava.  Embai Barde a horticulturist, is having a bad season in his fruits market, with over one thousand mangoes trees, aside oranges and guava affected by the scourge.

Cubinks' visit to the area was facilitated by the Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development (CALPED) a body championing Climate Smart Agriculture, citizens' engagement and good governance. Barde and Tambaya, the affected farmers, regretted their helplessness in not knowing where to seek help.

The session on Climate Smart Agriculture and Open Government Partnership organized by CALPED which held at Kachia on 13th and 14th April, 2018 had participants from Kachia, Kauru, Zangon Kataf, Jema'a and Kagarko Local Government Areas.  The program was aimed at creating awareness  on the Open Government Partnership (OGP), Climate Smart Agriculture in line with the commitment of governments to implement an inclusive statewide tree planting program in 2018. 

"We are going beyond what government should do, and are going to work on what we can source locally to make tree planting a success", said Jonathan Samson Umaya, the Head of CALPED Agric Series. 

Another stakeholder Dangwa Abbas Danjuma contended that "Agro-forestry can be developed through our partners in these communities, to grow by organic means, products for premium markets. " , hence the need for the program which is also aimed at providing enduring environment to operate.