Livestock and Fishery should be Business, not a hand to mouth activity

Dr. Atanga Heinendez, Regional Delegate, NW

Dr. Atanga Heinendez, Regional Delegate of the North West for Livestock and Fishery has called on stake holders of the sector to put in every effort to make sure that Livestock and Fishery activities in the Region are pushed to the level of sustainable business and not just a hand to mouth activity. In this interview that took place at the Regional Delegation of Livestock and Fishery for the North West Region, Dr. Atanga Heinendez revisits the route so far covered by the North West Region and among things calls to mind the fact that the North West Region is among the first two as far as this invaluable sector is concerned in Cameroon. He begins by talking about the situation he met in the field when he came to the North West Region and how things have so far evolved?  He was interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante.  

 

Dr. Atanga Heinendez

Presently the North West Region occupies the second position in Beef Cattle in the country. We have over 500.000 cattle and thanks to HEIFA we have the highest daily production. In Poultry we are in second position after the West Region which occupies first position in the country. Every Division in the Region has its own specifics. When you talk of cattle then you have to go to Donga Mantung, Bui and Boyo Divisions. When you talk of poultry and pigs then it’s Mezam and Ngoketunjia. In Aqua culture we are a little behind but we are doing well and this activity is concentrated around Mezam, Boyo and Ngoketunjia. When we talk of fish harvest it is of course Ngoketunjia with the Bambalang fish.

What has your ministry done in terms of putting in place infrastructures like Training Centers for refurbishing of stakeholders and training experts?

The Ministry first of all has the moral obligation of making sure that good quality meat is available to the people. To do that, it has its extension services but for continuous training, projects are regularly put in place like ACEFA to follow up the farmers designed production process. We also have PNVIA which permits farmers to be taught modern techniques of production. The most recent that we have is LIFIDEP; Livestock and Fishery Development Project which is funded by the Islamic Development Bank. This project provides infrastructure and other accessories to make sure that Livestock and Fishery activities in the North West are at their utmost. Mass vaccination is an initiative that is subsidized by the Government to make vaccines available at highly subsidized rates. Traditional practices do not permit for maximum production so the government has production farms at Kounden in the West Region which is a specialised Livestock Station for pigs from where highly improved grades of pigs are churned out for farmers. At 6 months, these improved species can weigh a hundred Kilograms.

 What are the grounds so far covered in the North West since you took office here? 

  

When I took over we had some challenges like disease out breaks but for some time now we have not recorded any outbreak in the region. Take the cattle vaccination for example. In 2012 we vaccinated 124.000 herds of cattle. In 2016 we vaccinated 160.000 cattle and this year we are targeting 180.000 herds of cattle or more. It should be recalled that the North West Region has never missed a year in the mass vaccination process. We need to take advantage of all of this so that we will be able to have sufficient quantities that will take care of our needs and even meet up with the demands of neighbours who count on us. We equally had to fight very hard to make sure that the Avian Influenza or Bird Flu didn’t get into the Region. It was a collective fight that involved everybody from the security men, the farmers among others directly or indirectly concerned. I will continue to make the meat safe for human consumption and I call on all to know that it is a collective fight and not only that of the technician.

Are you satisfied with what has so far been done?

I cannot say I am satisfied because success is a journey and we are on the right track getting there though we are not yet there. The Ministry has put in place so many things for the population of the North West Region to benefit from. We have the veterinary School in Jakiri that trains technicians. We have the AFOP Programme and Training Centre at Ku-Bome in Mbengwi; an Aqua Culture Station used for the training of youths. There is the Nazareth Centre in Bamenda and the PRTC Nfonta, Bambui in the Tubah Municipality. Those graduating write projects and these projects are funded to help them settle. We call on youths to contact the Regional Delegations to take advantage of many programmes that the government provides for youths. Livestock and Fishery should be a real business and not a hand to mouth activity.

Les Gens Du Cameroun/ Email: francoeko@gmail.com/ Tel:+237696896001/ +237678401408