The ministry of agriculture and livestock told member of parliament that BIF 15billion (around 7,5million USD) was compelled for jabs supply to halt RVF before rainy season to avoid huge losses.
While answering to questions of deputies on Friday the 16th of June, 2022, Deo Guide Rurema said that the government have sought funders to supply jabs to nationwide to cows and ruminants.
“Efforts to combat the RVF are underway, However, the government fell short of the budget”, said Rurema. We are waiting for means to order them, he added.
He was reacting to the question fired by the first deputy president, Sabine Ntakarutimana whose concerns went to people who rely on beef meat for life as well as consumers.
She continued by asking the Ministry to anticipate when the RVF should be declared over.
Rurema, however, did not provide a specified spacio-temporal canvas as when people should consider eating beef again.
Additionally, he said that jabs are expected to be imported from Kenya or Uganda.
Traditionally Burundi is believed to sustain on agriculture and livestock accounting close to 95% relying on farming while over 700,000 cows are livestocked nationwide.
RVF was first diagnosed in northen provinces (Ngozi) where around 500 cows are estimated to have died as of May 24th, a month later no updates have been released.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) It is a viral zoonosis. It first attacks animals with a possibility to seriously infect humans as it is capacitated to cause severe disease.
As reports WHO, among RVF infected livestock, economic mislaying drains as a result from infringed fatalities.
“Human infections result from direct or indirect contact with the blood or organs of infected animals. The virus can be transmitted to humans through the handling of animal tissue during slaughtering or butchering, assisting with animal births, conducting veterinary procedures”, report WHO.
Or from the disposal of carcasses or fetuses. “Certain occupational groups such as herders, farmers, slaughterhouse workers, and veterinarians are therefore at higher risk of infection”, warns WHO.
As stringent measures, the ministry first banned slaughtering and marketing beef meat.
The consequences splashed up the prices of the meat especially in Bujumbura where it almost doubled to BIF 17,000[around $8] in June from BIF 9, 000 [around $4] in March before the fever.
Butchers throw stones on the scarcity of cows since then.
Though afterwards the Ministry green light to consumers at one condition, boil the meat and cook it correctly, the meat on the market became expensive.
“I have revised prices”, said Salma a restaurant owner in Bwiza. Now a kilo of meat is sold at BIF 17, 000, what do you want me to do? she asked.
In town, customers met at different butchers’ said that they used to buy cowflesh (umusoso in Kirundi) BIF 8,000 a kilogram as of March, mix cowbones known as known Changachanga stood around BIF 7,000.
Almost meat cuts’ prices approximately doubled, said Munezero, a customer met at Kwa Ntazimba.
At the butcher’s, same story. Prices skyrocketed. “Slaughterhouses have shut their doors” said Mahoro a butcher in Bujumbura town hall.
The soaring prices comes to worsen the already existing commodities unstable market as said ABUCO(Association des Consommateurs).
Today, everything on the market highed, said Noel Nkurunziza the spokesperson of ABUCO.
The government should implement measures to disburden customers and alleviate prices, he added.
