Veterinary services have virtually come to a halt across the country due to the ongoing lockdown, putting the livestock and poultry sectors at risk, according to officials and farmers.
Though foot and mouth disease (FMD) has broken out in the country, many dairy farmers are not getting desired services, they said, adding that the situation has worsened due to lack of smooth supply of vaccines for FMD.
The existing situation will increase the risk of food safety and create nutritional problem as the farmers are facing problem in selling and marketing of milk, meat and egg, they added.
Preferring anonymity, a top official of Department of Livestock Services (DLS) said some posts in several upazilas (sub-district) are lying vacant, disrupting vet service in those areas.
The government is trying its best to fill those posts as soon as possible, he added.
Dr Munzur Murshid Khan, secretary general of Bangladesh Poultry Industries Association (BPIA), also managing director of Bio Health Company Limited, said lack of proper delivery of veterinary services is impacting the poultry sector.
"The poultry farmers are not getting adequate services due to the lockdown, affecting the whole industry," he told the FE.
Farmers in remote areas are bearing the brunt of the lockdown as they are not getting smooth services at this moment, Mr Khan added.
The total poultry population stood at nearly 347.03 million in the fiscal year 2019 while the chicken and duck populations were about 289.28 million and 57.75 million respectively, according to DLS.
The poultry population was estimated at about 262.62 million in the FY '09 with the chicken population at about 221.39 million and duck at about 41.23 million, the DLS data showed.
The poultry sector in the country comprises both layer farms and broiler farms.
Mohammad Badruddoza, a dairy farmer in Jamalpur district, told the FE that some of his cows were infected with foot and mouth disease amid the outbreak of Covid- 19.
"As I did not receive service timely from the upazila livestock office, one of my calves died due to inordinate delay in service," he claimed.
Badruddoza, however, admitted that he received service in the long run.
The cattle, sheep and goat population increased to 55.52 million in FY '19 from 49.55 million in FY '09, according to DLS.
The total livestock population (both ruminant and non-ruminant) reached about 402.56 million in FY '19.
A total of 70,981 cattle farms registered with the DLS until August 2019, the official data showed. Of the total, about 59,274 were dairies, 4,201 goat-rearing farms and 3,753 sheep farms.
Md Shah Emran, Secretary of Bangladesh Dairy Farmers' Association (BDFA), told the FE that the farmers in remote areas were at risk of incurring huge financial losses as they were not getting service timely due to the shutdown enforced to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Thousands of farmers will suffer huge losses if their cattle especially cows, goat and buffaloes do not receive vet services timely, he pointed out.
The association verbally informed DLS about the matter and urged them to provide services under the circumstances, he noted.
Talking to the FE, Dr. Md. Giasuddin, chief scientific officer of Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI), said some districts especially Sirajganj, Pabna, Bogura, and Bhola are the epicenters of foot and mouth disease.
Vet physicians cannot provide service across the country properly and smoothly due to government's social distancing measures, he added.
Dr. Giasuddin has expressed fears that small and medium farmers might incur huge financial losses, putting them in jeopardy.
"Earlier, we received 1000 calls for vet service a month but now we respond to only 100 calls due to the current situation."
Talking to the FE, Dr. Abdul Jabbar Sikder, Director General of DLS, said the farmers were getting vet services across the country as it opened a control room for emergency services.
Services were being hindered somewhat amid the virus shutdown, he said.
The control room was set up at the DLS office in the city's Farmgate area and a hotline number - 02-9122557 - was launched so that farmers and stakeholders concerned can inform the ministry about the problems they face during ongoing coronavirus crisis, he added.
The country has 140 million cattle and one vet is providing service in each upazila, he said, adding that vet officers are doing duty in some upazilas where the posts of vet surgeons remain vacant now.
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