The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos State Chapter, on Tuesday said that farmers in the state are counting costs after an outbreak of the Africa swine fever killed pigs estimated to have worth over N7 billion.

African swine fever virus is a large, double-stranded DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family. The virus causes a hemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates in domestic pigs.

Lagos Chapter chairman, Otunba Femi Oke told AgroNigeria that the outbreak occurred in Oke-Aro piggery farm in Lagos two months before the lockdown.

The outbreak, which hit the farm of about 10, 000 active poultry farmers, was further worsened by the government-sanctioned lockdown and restrictions in movement following the rising cases of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in Nigeria, Oke further explained.

“It was very disastrous. This happened during the lockdown time around March and April, and our pig farmers lost over seven billion Naira. The situation worsened because the farmers were unable to be in the farms to feed them,” the state chairman told AgroNigeria.

Speaking on the economic implication of the incidence, Oke noted that many of the affected farmers who obtained loans from banks have had to be hospitalised while others had died of shock. He added that efforts were being made to relate the situation to the government.

“We are still trying to relate the situation to the Federal Government. The Lagos State Government is aware and has been to the farm, I have been reliably informed.”

The chairman also called on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to intervene in the situation.

“We are looking at compensation from the government. The loss is very huge and it will have a huge effect on the piggery value chain and the farmers for a long time,” he said.

SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA