Locally developed LSD vaccine to protect cattle: Minister
He urged farmers to vaccinate their livestock regularly, saying timely vaccination against LSD must be ensured to keep cattle healthy.
Fisheries, Livestock, and Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid today (4 September) said that the locally developed viral Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) vaccine would play an important role in controlling the highly damaging disease and protecting livestock from its spread.
He said farmers often suffer huge financial losses when LSD, a highly harmful viral disease affecting cattle, spreads among livestock.
"Once the vaccine produced using domestic technology is marketed, farmers' costs will come down, its availability will increase and the livestock sector will become more sustainable," the minister said.
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Aminur said this while speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of a vaccination campaign for LSD and Goatpox vaccines developed by the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) at Raichu Eidgah field in Adarsha Sadar upazila here.
He said the country requires around 2.5 crore doses of LSD vaccine every year and had so far remained dependent on imported vaccines. "Now the process of developing this vaccine domestically has begun."
He urged farmers to vaccinate their livestock regularly, saying timely vaccination against LSD must be ensured to keep cattle healthy.
"If the disease breaks out at a farm, it can quickly spread to other animals. Therefore, maximum importance should be given to preventive measures," Aminur said.
Emphasizing the cultivation of newly developed high-nutrition grass to reduce livestock feed cost, he said the new grass variety developed by BLRI contains around 18% protein.
"By cultivating this grass, farmers will be able to produce quality animal feed at lower costs and reduce their dependence on granular feed," the minister said.
Noting that the government is taking a new initiative to conserve and expand the country's indigenous Black Bengal goat, he said under the programme, union-level entrepreneurs will be developed, training will be provided, improved goat breeds will be supplied and marketing support will be extended.
The minister said that women and young entrepreneurs would be given priority under the initiative.
BLRI Director General Dr Shakila Faruq presided over the inaugural function while Department of Livestock Services (DLS) Director General Md Shahzaman Khan spoke as special guest.
Senior officials from DLS and BLRI, local political leaders, and a large number of livestock farmers attended the programme.
Considering the overall situation of LSD and Goatpox outbreaks in Bangladesh and with overall support from the DLS, the vaccination campaign formally began today with the administration of 2,000 doses of LSD vaccine and 100 doses of Goatpox vaccine to livestock in the upazila.
