PESHAWAR: The dairy farmers have demanded of the government to take immediate steps for early vaccination of livestock to save domestic animals from lumpy skin disease.

Livestock Farmers Welfare Association president Mohammad Asif Awan while told Dawn that last year, lumpy skin disease caused irreparable financial losses to farmers due to non-availability of proper treatment but the government did not compensate them.

He expressed reservations over delay in implementation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Livestock Policy, 2018, and demanded of the provincial government to allocate sufficient funds for early control of the transmittable diseases like foot and mouth disease (FMD) and lumpy skin to save dairy sector from more losses. He said that FMD was a severe and highly contagious viral disease of cattle, which usually occurred in March and April or May.

Mr Awan said at least 75 per cent problems of farmers would be solved with the implementation of the livestock policy. He said that the policy was meant to control hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. He said that 50 per cent of farmers stopped dairy farming due to hike in prices of animals, fodder, transportation and spread of diseases and continuous raids on milk shops by administration.

He said that the policy was prepared to strengthen livestock sector with main focus on increasing milk and meat production. Under the policy, the provincial government would make efforts to strengthen extension services and livestock farmers` field schools (LFFS).

The livestock department will also frame strategy for forage conservation and pasture management.

`The government should play its role to save dairy sector. Dairy farming is dying due to inflation and mismanagement. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there has been a significant reduction in milk and meat production, practical measures are needed to meet the shortage,` said Mr Awan.

He said that inflation had badly affected the dairy sector. He said that the production of milk and meat was continuously decreasing, which was causing losses to farmers. He said that it would eventually cause financial losses to people as they would have to buy dairy products at higher rates.

`We appeal to the provincial government, especially to the chief secretary to save the livestock sector and take practical steps in collaboration with the association so that the sector could be put on the path of development,` he said.

Mr Awan criticised routine raids on milk shops by the officials of district administration and said that there should be a separate price review committee under the livestock department to fix the prices on basis of cost of production.

He said that dairy se ctor should be given the status of industry to free it from the control of district administration so that the rates of milk, curd and meat could be coordinated by the association and the department in accordance with the cost of production.