INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, JULY 31The government is preparing to dole out relief packages to those farmers whose cattle died due to
lumpy skin disease outbreak in recent months.
Lumpy skin claims over 2,000 cattle in Madhes Province
Lumpy skin disease spreading fast in Bhaktapur
Preparations are afoot to announce relief packages from the upcoming Cabinet meeting, according to
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.In a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development Bedu Ram Bhusal and other
stakeholders at the official residence of the prime minister in Baluwatar today, PM Dahal instructed Minister Bhusal to do necessary
homework to provide relief packages to farmers who have been bearing the brunt of loss of cattle to the viral disease.Articulating the
serious steps being taken by the government towards controlling lumpy skin disease that is rapidly spreading in the country, PM Dahal rued
that there was no publicity about the meetings with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and Ministry of Finance in
relation to containing the viral disease
Stating that lumpy skin was detected in India and China two years ago, he admitted that it was the weakness on the part of Nepal to fail to
exercise timely preventive measures against the infection.
Over 1.1 million cattle across the country are estimated to have
contracted lumpy skin disease.Among them, 867,000 have recovered, while 48,000 have succumbed to the viral disease, incurring loss of over
At present, a total of 181,000 cattle are infected with lumpy skin disease in the country.PM Dahal drew the attention of the ministry, and
Department of Livestock Service to early preparedness for epidemics like lumpy skin sisease in the coming days
"Let's work towards preventive efforts and relief packages for farmers who are bearing the loss of cattle
Let's put plans in place for early preparedness," he urged.According to PM Dahal, going by the practices and research conducted in India and
China, the Goat Pox vaccine seems to appear as an appropriate antidote to lumpy skin."Considering this aspect, the use of this vaccine
should be made free and the vaccine should be administered to the animals through coordinated efforts among the federal, provincial and
local levels," he said.Acknowledging the economic loss borne by the owners due to death of their cattle, PM Dahal pitched for providing
relief packages to farmers.He said the Goat Pox vaccine should be provided to farmers for free apart from relief packages and instructed the
concerned ministry to make arrangement for the same
Furthermore, PM Dahal stressed the need to spread awareness among farmers about the vaccine and the right kind of animal feed.A vaccine
named 'Bird Pox' will be provided to the farmers after the recommendation of veterinary experts and approval from the World Health
Organisation.Minister Bhusal shared that approval for the use of 'Bird Pox' vaccine was going to be issued
Paddy plantation in various districts has been affected due to the death of animals used in farming.The viral infection in the animal has
also led to reduced milk production.Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development Govinda Prasad Sharma highlighted the
need for immediate relief package for the affected farmers.National Planning Commission Vice-president Min Bahadur Shrestha viewed that the
government should immediately make decisions on the relief package and free vaccines for affected farmers.Similarly, Secretary at the Office
of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers Yek Narayan Aryal called for arrangements of relief package for affected farmers.A version of
this article appears in the print on August 1, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com
