Ekiti State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Ebenezer Boluwade, has warned pig farmers to beware of the African Swine fever that could cause an increase in the mortality rate of pigs and affect their piggery farms.
The Commissioner gave the warning in his office in Ado-Ekiti and charged farmers to take preventive measures early enough to deal with the scourge. According to him, such preventive measures include farmers stepping up the biosecurity measures on the farm, increasing plane nutrition to step up immunity, increasing the level of farm sanitation, and limiting visits to other farms.
Other measures to prevent the African Swine fever according to the Commissioner, are the slaughter and processing of mature pigs to reduce the risk, awareness creation and strict warnings to farm attendants and workers and restriction of movements ( human and vehicular and materials) in and out of the farm.Boluwade further advised that there should be a secured perimeter of farm premises and outright stoppage of exchange or reuse feed bags and so on.
The Commissioner emphasized the need for farmers to heed the warning in order to further consolidate the efforts being made by the Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji’s led administration to stem out hunger and ensure food security in Ekiti State.
