Poultry dealers adopt tricks to sell products at Aflao

Aflao, June 30, GNA - Despite the ban on sale and movement of poultry and poultry products at Aflao, due to an outbreak of the Avian Flu, some dealers are in brisk business.

Available reports indicate that the dealers outwit personnel of the Ketu District Bird Flu Control Taskforce by concealing live birds in homes and stores around the market while they hanged around to woo customers. They beckon people, bargain with those interested, collect their money before delivering the live birds in concealed plastic containers at a distance away from the market. Mr Atsu Kporvie, a customer, who felt cheated at the Agbozume market because the live bird delivered to him was not commensurate with the 40,000 cedis he paid, blamed personnel of the Bird Flu Task Force for the difficulties to access live birds for various purposes including rituals.

He appealed to the taskforce against the indiscriminate destruction of live birds that was creating anxiety in the area. During a tour of the Aflao poultry market by the Ghana News Agency to verify the reports, the dealers mostly women, who were sitting around beckoned the reporter to come nearer if he needed a live bird. A source close to the Taskforce said it was continuing with the destruction of live birds within a given radius of the farm where the disease was detected and barring all poultry and poultry products from entering or leaving the area. He said 1,500 live birds were destroyed around the border on Friday, June 29.