An aggrieved wife of a poultry farmer, Charles Quaye, whose birds were destroyed due to an outbreak of Avian influenza (bird flu) says they now depend on loans to survive due to the delayed compensation from the government.
In an interview on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Thursday, Mrs Quaye said her husband has been in the poultry business for about 35 years, and it has been their support system.
The current situation according to her has made life difficult for them as parents who need to cater for their three children.
“My husband was a poultry farmer when I met him and that is what we have used to cater for our children. Tthe eldest is in the university, with the others in SHS and JHS. It is not easy for us so we have to borrow.
“If the government has given the money to someone who has refused to pay, they should find out because we don’t understand what is going on. We have to take loans to make ends meet,” she bemoaned.
Aside the delayed compensation, Mrs Quaye said another worrying situation is the lack of a disinfection exercise.
“It was the hope that they will come and disinfect the farm to curb the spread but from 2022 till now, nobody has returned after the birds were destroyed,” she lamented.
Meanwhile, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) instructed the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to within one month compensate farmers who suffered losses due to the outbreak.
However, the affected farmers say they are yet to receive a penny from the allocated GH¢1.8 million compensation, which the 2022 Auditor General’s Report revealed remains unused in the Ministry’s account.
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