BARIPADA: Food and Mouth Disease (FMD) among cattle has affected farming activities in several parts of Balasore district. The worst hit are the marginal farmers of areas under Jaleswar municipal area where at least two cattle in every farmer’s house are suffering from FMD. With very less bullocks left to undertake farming activities and no time to waste to undertake transplantation of saplings, the farmers have no option but to pay between `1,000 and `1,500 per hour to use a tractor to prepare the muddy bed. The poor farmers, on the other hand, have not started farming activities as they are unable to dole out the huge sums to avail a tractor for preparing their fields before transplanting.
The farmers expressed discontent over the vaccination drive which was carried out to control the highly contagious FMD. Jaleswar farmers said the Block Veterinary department has not conducted the vaccination programme to prevent FMD attack. They have appealed to the veterinary officials to take immediate measures to check the spread of the disease as there is no time to delay their treatment. Farmers S K Arfu of Ward-1, SK Kala of Ward-3, Nagudu Hembram and Mohan Kisku of Ward-4 under the municipal limits said during their meeting with Jaleswar Block Veterinary Officer (BVO) Sunil Bhuyan to apprise him of the issue, they were asked to take the cattle to the clinic to vaccinate them.
As transferring cattle would not be economically viable at this stage, they are providing traditional treatment which is failing to show result. Executive member of ATMA Aswhwinee Kumar Nath said as per government provision, the Veterinary department must move from door-to-door to vaccinate the cattle and other domestic animals. Nath said Nath he will meet the Collector to address the issue soon. Bhuyan said 24,000 cattle have been vaccinated in both municipal and rural areas of Jaleswar. Only those cattle coming from local markets are yet to take vaccine, he said.