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Burkina restarts poultry exports to Ivory Coast Mr Sékou Bâ, Minister for Animal Resources of Burkina Faso announced at a press conference on Wednesday August 25th the lifting of the export ban on poultry from Burkina to Ivory Coast, in particular the well known "bicycle chicken" (so called because of their legs, spindly like bike wheel spokes).
  Burkina thus definitely turns the page of the avian flu, the first outbreaks of which were notified in April 2006, i.e. in Gampéla (in central Burkina), Ténado (centre west) and in Lafiabougou, sector 2 of Bobo-Dioulasso. According to the Minister efficient steps were swiftly taken to wipe out these centres of infection. Fortunately there were no reports of the flu in humans. Compensation paid to the 1 492 poultry breeders who had had their stock slaughtered, cost slightly over 20 million CFA francs. But this epizootic disease was a hard blow to the entire poultry sector. Even though the production of chicken and eggs has taken off again, this was not the case of trade with Ivory Coast and Ghana. This is now resolved since August 18th. During a visit to Ivory Coast from the 16th to 19th of August, the Minister had the opportunity to discuss all the trade issues with his Ivory Coast colleague. The main decision taken was obviously the lifting of the trade ban on poultry and poultry products.  Up to date poultry breeders in Burkina may now import one day old chicken and fresh eggs from Ivory Coast, and Ivory Coast customers will once again be able to savour the famous traditional "bicycle chicken" from Burkina. The two ministers were able to establish that currently there is no avian flu infection centre in their countries, which moreover have adopted "bio-security measures for monitoring and control of the disease" …/… Minister Sékou Bâ explained that these measures will give the sector a fresh start, after the hard times economic operators have suffered during the trade ban.
The two ministers also agreed, as stated in the official press release, that they will improve the flow of exchange of animals over the borders and reduce obstruction in connection with animal transports. (LE PAYS, Thursday August 26th 2010). This is obviously good news for traders, but even more so for the farmers of Burkina (See also "L'Europe plume l'Afrique" and "Messieurs les Ministres de l'Union Européenne", (Distinguished Ministers of the European Union). ) Farmers often add a little to their earnings by selling a few chicken, mostly small but particularly tasty and appreciated by customers. In the 1990ies trucks could be seen in Kiembara between Tougan and Ouahigouya, loaded with chicken from the nearby village of Dio and leaving to deliver them in Abidjan. Ouagadougou, August 29, 2010
Maurice Oudet
Director, SEDELAN |
