The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), says it has targeted 400,000 animals for vaccination against zoonotic diseases in Adamawa.
Mr Abubakar Mahdi, ICRC’s Livestock Officer, stated this at the inauguration of the livestock stakeholders consultative meeting on Tuesday in Yola.
Mahdi said the 2021 Animal Vaccination exercise would be conducted in collaboration with the Adamawa State Ministry of Livestock and Aquaculture.
He said the exercise was designed to assist the pastoralists to protect their animals against zoonotic diseases affecting livestock production in the state.
The ICRC official said that about 60 per cent of the vaccines were provided for inoculation againts Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) for ruminants and 40 per cent for vaccination of cattle against Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP).
Mahdi said that 400,000 doses of the vaccine would be allocated to Mayo-Belwa, Jada, Ganye, Madagali, Michika, Maiha, Mubi North and Mubi South Local Government Areas of the state.
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Mahdi urged the stakeholders to plan towards sustaining the exercise to stem animal diseases in the state.
In a remark, Mr Bashir Usman, Secretary to Adamwa State Government (SSG), commended the ICRC for the gesture, and pleged government commitment to facilitate successful implementation of the exercise.
Usman, represented by Mohammed Daware, Commissioner for Agriculture, said the state government accorded premium to livestock development being one of the mainstay of the economy of the state.
“As government, we are now focusing on developing agro business, we are so much concern on supporting livestock production,” he said.
Usman called on the herders and farmers to coexist peacefully to fast track sustainable development of the agricultural sector.
Also speaking, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Tukur, Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Livestock and Aquaculture, said livestock sub sector was contributing about 47 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Tukur called on the state government to increase the budgetary allocations and ensure timely release of fund for annual animal vaccination campaign to curb animal diseases in the state.
He advocated for Public Private Partnership in animal disease control programme to encourage sustainable development in the sector.
The secretary also called for the review of current policy on the control of animal diseases in the state.
Malam Yarima Nasiru, a cattle breader, lauded the ICRC and Adamawa government for their efforts towards curbing animal diseases in the state.
Nasiru assured that pastoral communities would cooperate with the workers to ensure success of the exercise. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)