Poultry experts from Belgium are to meet in Abeokuta for the third Nigeria international conference to demonstrate ways to combat and prevent avian influenza in Nigeria, according to All Africa.

The President of the World Poultry Science Association (WPSA) in Nigeria, Professor Daisy Eruvbetine, made the announcement at a news conference to herald the summit. Professor Eruvbetine said four of the experts were to present different papers on the disease and how to overcome it. She lamented that the disease had ravaged the entire sub-region, the recent one being in Egypt where a boy was affected.

"Since we do not have money to really embark on necessary research, all we can do is to continue to offer advisory service, which the organisation is doing now."

Three exhibitors from Indian specialists on equipment, poultry production and incubators will also participate in the four-day event, starting on 22 February, she said.

The WPSA president disclosed that the global recession was not only the problem confronting the association, saying, "Business climate, agricultural feeds and others are major issues confronting us, and the solution simply lies on funding."

Professor Eruvbetine said poor response from corporate organisations in putting money on research had been a serious hindrance to the research efforts of the association. "We will never get it if we continue to shun research works," she lamented.

The theme of this year's summit, Professor Eruvbetine said, is 'Poultry in West Africa : Towards Millennium Development Goals'. The aim is to make farmers relevant in the scheme of the development goals, assuring that all farmers had been invited at very subsidized participation fees to attend the summit.

Impacts of the previous summits, she further noted, had been encouraging and beneficial to the country's farmers, adding, "they learned a lot with the feed backs we got," Professor Eruvbetine said in the All Africa report.

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