June 26, 2008

Cameroon to develop domestic poultry sector

Cameroon is attempting to adopt Israel's poultry farming system, with members of the Inter-Professional Poultry Farmers training in the techniques of poultry production in Israel last month.

Israel is a dry land with temperatures as high as 45 degrees but produces about 300 million chickens per year.

Cameroon and Israel also signed an accord that permits the former to purchase vaccines from Israel at low prices for poultry illnesses such as Newcastle disease and Infectious bursal disease.

Cameroon will be producing and commercialising two million Israeli chicks that are resistant to heat and epidemic by 2009.

Cameroon's poultry sector has a lack of coordination and no authorisation is given to start a farm, according to Dr. Ebode Sylvain Blaise, director of Development Productions and Animal Industries at the Ministry of Livestock Fisheries and Animal Husbandry.

The African country is however, setting up an agricultural bank that would allow low interest loans for poultry farmers, Blaise said.

Blaise is of the belief that Cameroon's poultry sector would improve with Israeli help.