PMK Threatens Local Farmers In Indonesia, This Is What IPB Professor Says

Professor of the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) Dwi Andreas Santosa (two from the right) in the 2024 Strategic Sectors Economic Outlook discussion. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government plans to import cows from countries that are still exposed to mouth and nail disease (PMK). Through the Ministry of Agriculture, the government is designing a revision of Government Regulation Number 11 of 2022.

If this revision is approved, imported cattle from countries that have not been free of PMK will be allowed to enter Indonesia with certain conditions.

This step is expected to meet domestic needs, although it still takes into account the risk of disease spread that could affect local livestock health.

Professor of IPB, Prof. Dwi Andreas Santosa, gave an explanation regarding the handling of an outbreak of mouth and nail disease (PMK) in Indonesia. He mentioned that currently the country is facing the second wave of PMK, which emerged after the first wave in 2022.

"My guess is that the cause of the first wave is the opening of the door to import beef from India, which at that time was not free of PMK," said Prof. Dwi Andreas.

He explained that the impact of this outbreak was very significant for farmers, with a decrease in the dairy cattle population reaching around 80,000 heads.

"From 580,000 dairy cows in 2021, the number will drop to 507,000 in 2022," he added.

Regarding the plan to import cattle from Brazil or India, Prof. Dwi Andreas emphasized the importance of prohibiting imports from countries that have not been free from PMK.

"If Indonesia wants to be seriously free from PMK, we must be firm in prohibiting imports from these countries," he said.

Furthermore, Prof. Dwi Andreas explained that vaccinations have been carried out in various regions, although there are still shortcomings in meeting vaccine needs.

With the existing situation, Prof. Dwi Andreas emphasized that although the government has handled the PMK outbreak, there are still many aspects that need to be considered to prevent further spread.