They believe the bird flu is under control and have set up a Sh22 million fund for the farm

Cochabamba managed to contain the bird flu outbreak and made progress in reviving the poultry industry, injecting a trust fund of 22 million Bolivians to support affected producers through soft loans.

Agricultural Development Undersecretary Álvaro Molinedo said yesterday that through the National Agricultural Health and Food Safety Service (Senasag), the disease is contained and quarantined and will not affect other sectors.

Specifically, he noted that bird flu had killed and culled 591,968 birds and caused economic losses for more than 11 million Bolivians. (see infographic)

“We are socializing and launching a trust fund that will benefit 20 families who lost almost everything because all the chickens on their farms were slaughtered. SS approves budget of 22 million bolivianos to ensure food security,” he said.

The loan has an interest rate of 4.9 percent and a term of eight years, Molinedo said.

“From Thursday this week, producers can complete the paperwork to benefit from this trust, which will have a six-month grace period,” he said.

According to the Department of Rural Development and Lands, the credits will serve as financing for the purchase of chicks, food and veterinary supplies until week 24, when the peak production period for commercial egg sales begins.

The support is expected to achieve the replacement of 436,941 chicks and an annual production of 137,155,909 eggs, according to official figures.

The Deputy Minister pointed out that these credits were given to poultry producers from Quillacollo and Sacaba who had notified Senasag of cases of avian influenza.

He mentioned that at the national level, Cochabamba was the only region affected by the disease, and announced that Senasag would continue its efforts to support poultry farmers as the company seeks to export chicken and eggs in the coming years.

He concluded that chicken and egg prices are expected to stabilize by next year through resources allocated by the Bank for Production Development (BDP).

Poultry industry seeks rejuvenation

According to Iván Carreón, vice-president of the Poultry Farmers Association (ADA), 80% of producers affected by the bird flu outbreak had to rely on credit to resume production.

“It will take about six months for the laying hens to recover, so many of us have already started breeding again to produce before the end of the year. This trust will help us pay off a lot of our debts,” he asserted.