CUTTACK: The animal husbandry sector in the State has received a setback with the government failing to provide free drugs to livestock centres for the last two years. Due to the unavailability of government-supplied medicine at the veterinary hospitals and livestock centres, people rearing different kinds of domestic animals, especially dairy farmers are facing difficulties in their treatment.
Generally, the bovine category is more prone to fatal diseases such as black quarter (BQ), foot and mouth disease (FMD), and haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS) during the rainy season. Cattle should be vaccinated for HS having an 82 to 85 per cent mortality rate and BQ having an 80 to 90 per cent mortality rate before the arrival of monsoon. Similarly, deworming should be done at the start of the monsoon.
But farmers of several districts have alleged that due to a lack of government supply of the vaccines, the necessary inoculation programmes are yet to be carried out in a full-fledged way. Non-supply of drugs to has also hindered in implementation of livestock health and disease control programmes, which were carried out through organising camps.
As per reports, earlier the State government was supplying veterinary drugs to different veterinary hospitals and livestock centres through the chief district veterinary officers (CDVOs). However, to bring transparency to the drug dispensing system, the government had entrusted Odisha State Medical Corporation Limited (OSMCL) to procure and provide veterinary drugs for the last few years.
Sources said the OSMCL had floated a tender for procuring veterinary drugs last year. But, the tender process for the same is yet to be finalised with the matter going to court due to a dispute in the tendering process.
Assistant Director, Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, Dr Premananda Rout said veterinary medicines cannot be procured and supplied by OSMCL as the tender process is under sub judice, but added that the CDVOs have been instructed to make the local purchases up to 20 per cent of the district’s annual budget to meet the emergency.