The Guinean Minister of Agriculture, Mamoudou Nagnalen Barry announced this Wednesday, June 29, that 200,000 poultry have been slaughtered in order to curb the spread of avian influenza of the H5N1 subtype in Guinea-Conakry.
The first 6 outbreaks of contamination have been reported since June 7, when the disease has already killed around 120,500 birds. “The current outbreaks have been contained regarding 50 and 100 kilometers from the capital Conakry, in the prefectures of Coyah and Forecariah,” the minister said.
The epizootic will complicate the difficulties of the Guinean poultry industry, which has been trying for several years to develop despite “competition from frozen chicken imports from Brazil and Europe”.
In Guinea, the poultry industry produces less than 10% of the volume of white meat consumed locally. It should be noted that “the industry has experienced a wave of investment to improve its day-old chick production capacity in order to develop its broiler supply and meet the growing needs of the local market”.
Last January, the company Salambandé Agro-Industrie “launched a hatchery in the prefecture of Coyah with a capacity of 4.5 million chicks per year and at a cost of 7 billion Guinean francs (i.e. 800,000 US dollars )”. According to the data, “the agricultural sector employs regarding 70% of Guinea’s population and provides more than 25% of the country’s GDP”.