The lumpy skin disease, which infects cows, has started hitting milk collection in Rajasthan.
A dairy department official said milk collection in August was targeted at 3.5 million litres a day, but it could be just above 2.75 million litres, and this, he pointed out, had been due to the disease.
With the Navratri and Diwali festivals ahead, the price of sweets is expected to go up because of this.
The disease came to Rajasthan in April this year and it has so far affected more than 1.31 million animals, of which, according to estimates of non-government organisations (NGOs), over 34,000 have died.
“Rapid vaccination is being done and steps have been taken to supply medicines to the districts at the earliest. Almost 1.4 million animals have been vaccinated in the state,” Kataria said.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has urged the prime minister to declare the disease an epidemic.
In his letter to the prime minister, Gehlot said this would help strengthen medical facilities and transport.
The chief minister said apart from Rajasthan, this disease had affected 13 states.
“We are making all possible efforts to prevent the spread of the disease. Rapid response teams have been constituted in this regard as per the requirement. Apart from this, animal transport, cattle haats and cattle fairs have been banned,” he added.
Gehlot also stressed cooperation with the Central government.
According to the dairy department, the state has around 17,500 dairy cooperative forums and about 800,000 farmers sell milk there.
Animal husbandry is a significant source of livelihood for rural people, especially in the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan. About 10 per cent of the state’s gross domestic product is contributed by the livestock sector.
According to the livestock census 2012, the figure was 57.73 million, which included cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, pigs, camels, horses, and donkeys.
Rajasthan has about 7 per cent of the country’s cattle population and contributes over 12.72 per cent of milk production.
