With over 12,000 cattle dying due to lumpy skin disease in Gujarat, the BJP government is on alert and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited Kutch, one of the worst affected districts, on Tuesday. The skin disease has spread to 17 out of the 33 districts of the state.
According to sources, about 66 per cent of the cattle affected due to lumpy virus are from Kutch. Patel visited an isolation centre and instructed the administration to dispose of the carcasses in a scientific manner. Twenty six isolation centres have been set up in border district of Kutch.
Agriculture and animal husbandry minister Raghavji Patel has said that over 6 lakh animals have been vaccinated. Other districts that are affected include Devbhoomi Dwarka, Porbandar, Morbi, Gir, Panchmahals and Banaskantha.
As a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the disease, the state government had issued a notification banning the movement of cattle from one place to another and in the fairs.
The milk procurement is believed to have been affected in some of the worst affected districts.
However, managing director of Amul R.S. Sodhi told THE WEEK that things are under control. “Lumpy virus had come last year also. The system of vaccination is in place and a team of veterinary doctors are on the field guiding the farmers and vaccinating the cattle,” he said, adding that the state government is also doing vaccination in a big way.
He said that Amul gets 2 crore litres of milk every day from the state and from Saurashtra there is perhaps a shortfall of 40,000 to 50,000 litres, which is miniscule. Sodhi said that the cases are more in Panjrapols (centres for cattle) and at places where the cattle have not got proper nourishment.
