Federal government has commenced the 2023/2024 dry season aerial spray against destructive quelea birds in about eight selected local government areas of Bauchi State.
Our correspondent reports that the selected local government areas include Shira, Toro, Warji, Jama’are, Kirfi, Alkaleri, Bauchi and Misau. The areas were known for large-scale food production, notably maize and rice.
Speaking during the flagging-off of the exercise at Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport Bauchi, yesterday, minister of agriculture and food security, Senator Abubakar Kyari said the spray became necessary to protect dry season farmers’ yield from being damaged by the transborder birds.
The minister who was represented by a director of the ministry in Bauchi, Mr Daniel Abarshi, said the ministry has the constitutional role to prevent and protect farmers from suffering crop losses to quelea birds.
He said the ministry undertakes the spray against quelea birds twice each year to ensure that Nigeria does its part in controlling the birds that move from one part of the world to another damaging cereal crops.
On his part, Bauchi State commissioner for agriculture, Simon Madugu Yalams, warned residents of the selected LGAs not to panic about sighting aircraft hovering around spraying the pest.
“People should not eat the dead quelea birds after the spray because doing so amounts to consuming the contaminated chemicals which will be harmful and dangerous to human health,” Yalams said.
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