Agriculture
UN Declares 2011 World Vet Day
To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of veterinary profession and veterinary science, the UN has declared 2011 World Veterinary Year, a statement from the FAO has said on Tuesday.
The statement said that King Louis XV of France in 1761 had proposed that a veterinary school be founded in Lyon, due to the scourge of cattle disease at the time.
This year also marks the 300th anniversary of the development of the first measures designed to fight bovine diseases.
The measures that were formulated in the early 18th century by an Italian physician Bernardino Ramazzini and Giovanni Maria Lancisi, personal physician to Popes Innocent XI, Clement XI and Innocent XII.
The slogan adopted for the celebration is “Vet for health. Vet for food. Vet for the planet!” the statement said.
It said this was the motto that evoked the all-important role that veterinarians play in safeguarding human and animal health in working to enhance food security and in protecting the environment.
FAO, together with the European Union, is one of the principal institutional partners for the commemoration organised by the VET 2011 committee.
VET 2011 committee is a body that brings together all the national veterinary organisations that have adhered to World Veterinary Year.
An opening ceremony was held on Tuesday in Versailles, France, attended by high-ranking French and international public figures.
In his speech, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf, emphasised the important role played by FAO — together with its member states and other concerned institutions — in the fight against the numerous zoonotic diseases threatening animals and animal products.
Diouf underlined the measures taken by FAO jointly with the WHO and OIE (the World Animal Health Organisation) to fight the recent Avian Flu H5N1 pandemic.
Jacques said that FAO and OIE would soon announce the total elimination of the bovine disease, rinderpest.
“This will be the first time in human history that a zoonotic disease will have been totally eradicated and only the second time, after the victory over smallpox, that any disease has been totally stamped out of existence,” he said.
He also emphasised the crucial role played by veterinary science, which he said, “has significantly reduced mankind’s exposure to the risks of zoonotic diseases such as tuberculosis, brucellosis or other animal flu viruses”.
Diouf said it was estimated that animal diseases caused losses of between 25 per cent and 33 per cent in world animal production.
“The veterinary profession is constantly being forced to deal with new challenges such as new diseases affecting aquaculture and the effects of climate change,” he said.
According to him, FAO has made animal health one of the pillars of its strategies.
The statement said that the FAO currently has 56 veterinarians working worldwide, dealing primarily with infectious diseases and with parasites that affect domestic and wild animals.
FAO’s animal production and health division (AGA) is deeply engaged in the fight to control other animal maladies such as Foot and Mouth Disease, PPR (peste des petits ruminants), African swine disease (ASF) and Rift Valley Fever, among others, the statement said.
Federal Government and the Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, distributed farm inputs to farmers as part of effort to address food security challenge.
The State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, during the flag-off ceremony of Inputs Redemption Under The National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), in Ogun State, disclosed that beneficiaries of the gesture were primarily rice, maize and cassava farmers across the State.
Ayo-Ajayi commended the Ogun State Government for partnering with the government at the centre for the effort in supporting farmers with inputs that would bring about yieldings for local consumption and likely exportation.
She noted that government is supporting rice, cassava and maize farmers with inputs worth N212,000; N189,000 and N186,000 respectively.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kehinde Jokotoye, who represented the Commissioner in the Ministry, Bolu Owotomo, stated that traditional farmers are critical in food production, hence the need to encourage and support them with inputs that would bring about desired results during harvesting.
Owotomo said: “Let us make good use of this opportunity, so that the success of this phase will make farmers benefit more from the state and federal governments of Nigeria.”
Earlier, State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Ayo-Ajayi, appreciated the present administration for partnering with the federal government for the initiative, adding that the programme is designed to support farmers at the grassroots level in cassava, rice and maize with inputs such as, seeds, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, to boost their production and enhance their livelihood.
The Niger State Government has mapped out 10,000 hectares of farmland in Gbapo Community of Katcha Local Government Area of the State for smallholder farmers to benefit from the state government’s agricultural intervention programme.
Two thousand out of the 10,000 holders of the farmlands have already received inputs.
At a flag-off ceremony in Yinti Village, the facilitator of the programme, Shinkafan Nupe, Malam Idris Usman Makanta, assured the farmers of increased distributions to the mapped-out ten thousand (10,000) farmlands if farmers respond positively.
He explained that the commencement of the two thousand is to measure the positive response of farmers before obtaining full-scale support.
Malam Makanta stated that this initiative aligns with the farmers’ initial commitment through Niger Foods, whose mission is primarily geared towards establishing efficient and profitable agricultural businesses to support the present administration of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s quest to boost agricultural productivity in the state.
He also commended Niger Foods for their steadfastness and resilience in the effective implementation of the input financing scheme.
Makanta reiterated the commitment of the State Governor in making judicious use of the arable land in the state.
Shinkafan Nupe, therefore, urged the farmers to support the Governor by using the inputs wisely so that the dream can be actualised.
The Gombe State Government has empowered a total of 573,429 farmers and entrepreneurs under the 4th phase of the GO-CARES programme.
The programme was officially flagged off by Governor Inuwa Yahaya in another major step towards alleviating poverty and supporting the state’s vulnerable populations.
The Governor, while inaugurating the disbursement in Akko Community of Akko Local Government Area, restated his administration’s commitment to the welfare of vulnerable citizens in the state.
He was represented by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Salihu Baba Alkali, who is also the Chairman of the Steering Committee on GO- CARES implementation.
“The 4th phase of GO-CARES will directly and indirectly impact a total of 573,429 citizens across the state. Of these, 152,429 individuals will benefit directly through cash transfers, livelihood grants, agricultural inputs, and operational grants to small businesses”, he stated.
The Governor added that, “421,000 people will be indirect beneficiaries through infrastructural projects such as classroom blocks, healthcare facilities, WASH services, and rural infrastructure projects like culverts and drainages”.
Yahaya, reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the state’s most vulnerable citizens are not left behind in the state’s development.
According to him, “Earlier this year, on June 25, 2024, we flagged off the distribution of improved seedlings, fertilizers, and herbicides to less privileged farmers in Malam Sidi, Kwami Local Government Area, signaling the commencement of the 4th phase implementation of GO-CARES under Result Area 2”.
The Governor reiterated that these initiatives have had a significant impact on the livelihoods of beneficiaries and the overall agricultural sector.
He explained that, “Today’s ceremony marked the simultaneous launch of activities under all three GO-CARES Result Areas for the 4th phase. These areas include: State Cash Transfer Grants: 2,500 direct beneficiaries; Labour Intensive Public Works: 2,700 direct beneficiaries; Livelihood Grants: 10,000 direct beneficiaries; and Basic Services: 405,000 indirect beneficiaries”.
