Ministry Of Agriculture Explains News Of 5.4 Million Livestock In Indonesia Exposed To FMD, Please Listen!

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) straightens out the information circulating regarding livestock in Indonesia that are infected with mouth and nail disease (FMD) totaling 20,723 heads, not 5.4 million heads.

The Director General of Livestock and Animal Health at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nasrullah, said the misperception occurred due to an error in reading the population data table and sick animals.

"We will improve the table model published to the public, so that there is no misinterpretation," he said in a written statement, Wednesday, May 25.

In detail, Nasrullah reiterated the data published by the government at the working meeting of Commission IV DPR RI per 22 May 2022. According to this data, FMD incidents occurred in 16 provinces with only 20,723 sick animals or 0.38 percent of the total livestock population 5, 4 million heads in the region.

"The government is trying to reduce the number of illnesses and their spread. We appreciate the steps taken by the regional task force and the National Police who are very proactive in the field," Nasrullah said quoting Antara.

Nasrullah also mentioned that the sick cattle that had been successfully treated were quite significant. He said that at least 33.29 percent of the sick livestock had recovered. He said the zoning strategy, or localizing the case only to sick cages, was effective in helping PMK not spread.

"We continue to work hard to limit the spread of FMD by restricting livestock traffic from the outbreak area. We treat sick animals especially those with clinical symptoms. We ask for media and community support so that FMD can be resolved immediately," he said.

Data from the Ministry of Agriculture as of May 22, 2022 stated that as many as 16 provinces and 82 districts/cities were infected with FMD from livestock, with a total of 5,454,454 affected and 20,723 sick.

Of the total sick animals, 6,896 were successfully cured or 33.29 percent, 162 or 0.78 percent were forcibly slaughtered, and 142 or 0.69 percent of livestock died.

Provinces affected by FMD include Aceh 315,612 individuals, Bangka Belitung 10,347 individuals, Banten 22,456 individuals, DIY 92,977 individuals, West Java 396,364 individuals, Central Java 768,150 individuals, and East Java 2,569,774 individuals.

Furthermore, West Kalimantan 51,403 individuals, South Kalimantan 83,123 individuals, Central Kalimantan 34,006, Lampung 56,078, West Nusa Tenggara 363,770, Riau 22,596, West Sumatra 107,942, South Sumatra 45,695, and North Sumatra 492,139.