Agriculture ministry to speed up foot-and-mouth disease eradication plan
According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), direct loss due to milk and meat is to the tune of RS. 20,000 crores per annum and the quantum of loss can increase if one takes into account the animal's reduced work capacity, abortions, subsequent infertility and sterility (that account for the reduced milk production subsequently).
The ‘Foot and Mouth Disease Control Programme (FMD-CP)’, under implementation since the 10th Plan period, now covers 351 districts in 13 states and 6 UTs i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Rajasthan, Bihar, Puducherry, Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar, Dadar & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu and Lakshadweep.
The scope of the programme will be extended to cover remaining states in a phased manner so as to have geographically contiguous areas to yield desired results for the creation of FMD Free Zones depending upon availability of resources.
With robust implementation of FMD-CP in the states, disease occurrence has drastically been reduced particularly in FMD-CP states e.g. 879 FMD outbreaks were reported in 2012 throughout the country which fell to 109 in 2015, according to the ministry release.
The ministry said that 16 states and one UT are yet to be covered under intensive FMD vaccination at six monthly intervals and therefore, it has been decided to take up FMD vaccination in these states under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) during 2016-17.
Initially Rs. 100.00 crore has been allotted for FMD control under RKVY for these 16 states and one UT i.e. Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and UT of Chandigarh.
Image: FMD in cattle/World Organisation for Animal Health website
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