Maseru, Nov. 29 — Poultry farmers, distributors and suppliers have strongly urged the government to open borders for poultry products from South Africa (SA) as it is expensive to import them from other countries.
These, they said at the press conference held in Maseru on Wednesday.
Speaking at the press conference, the Chairperson of concerned poultry farmers, distributors and suppliers Mrs. Mantsane Rantekoa said the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition warned them that SA is still hit by bird flu and that they could only import poultry products from Brazil, Turkey, Eswatini and other countries as SA has been placed on the red colour by World Organisation of Animal Health thus Lesotho has to comply.
Mrs. Rantekoa said it is expensive to import poultry products from above mentioned countries as they run small businesses and that South African poultry farmers have assured them that there are still poultry products which are not infected by bird flu.
She added that the South African government released a document which informed poultry farmers and its nation about measures that were taken against this disease, saying the ban of poultry products into the country might lead to illegal importation of these products at borders and might infect those which were legally imported and inspected.
She further said the ban of poultry products into the country has affected the economy, their businesses and employees who are currently unemployed.
She therefore indicated that it is against this background that they will engage in a peaceful march on December 08 to present their grievances to the Prime Minister as they have done whatever it takes to reach an amicable solution to this problem to no avail.
Meanwhile earlier in an interview with Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition Chief Information Officer Mr.Lereko Masupha said that the Minister of Agriculture Mr. Thabo Mofosi met with relevant senior government officials, poultry industry stakeholders and some local franchises on Monday evening to discuss the importation of poultry products into the country.
He said poultry farmers and franchises asked the government through the Ministry to open borders for poultry products and they discussed alternative countries in which poultry could be imported from except South Africa (SA), saying the countries that were brainstormed included Brazil, Eswatini and Turkey amongst others.
Reports from the South African Department of Agriculture indicate that South Africa’s worst bird flu outbreak is now under control and 70% of farms that were not infected continue to produce eggs and chickens.
