Deputy Speaker Of The House Of Representatives, Rachmat Gobel, Proposes 6 Steps To Overcome PMK For Livestock

Deputy Speaker of the DPR Korinbang Rachmat Gobel when receiving the General Chairperson of the Indonesian Cattle and Buffalo Breeders Association (PPSKI) drh Nanang Purus Subendro in Jakarta (9/6/2022) (ANTARA/HO/Korinbang DPR)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives for the Coordination of Industry and Development (Korinbang) Rachmat Gobel proposed six steps to overcome Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in livestock, especially cattle, so that the epidemic does not spread and threaten national food sovereignty.

"This PMK attack will certainly complicate efforts for food sovereignty, especially the supply of beef," said Rachmat Gobel in a written statement quoted by Antara, Saturday, June 11.

According to him, of the 12 strategic food staples, beef supply is still red.

Therefore, Rachmat Gobel, who was once the Minister of Trade, proposed six steps to overcome the epidemic which he considered as a form of carelessness in the management of importing meat or livestock from countries that are not yet free of FMD.

First, he continued, the government provides a budget for compensation to farmers whose livestock are infected with FMD. Second, he said, immediately mass vaccination of livestock.

Then third, said Rachmat, Bulog and the National Food Agency immediately created a mechanism for storing meat from livestock infected with FMD. Fourth, exterminate livestock infected with FMD and fifth, stop imports from countries that have not been free from FMD.

"If it is deemed necessary, sixth, immediately determine this PMK outbreak as an extraordinary event," said the people's representative from the Nasdem Party.

Rachmat Gobel asked the government to give serious attention to the PMK outbreak as well as in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is both a virus attack. Its distribution has also been very widespread. And this concerns the fate of farmers and also about food sovereignty in the midst of the threat of a world food crisis," he said.

He also said that for home cattle and buffalo breeders, their livestock are the biggest assets they have and are usually sold when there is a celebration or children's school needs. Therefore, he is worried that if the FMD outbreak is not immediately addressed, it will threaten the future of the farmers' families.

On June 9, 2022, the Deputy Chairman of the DPR Korinbang received the General Chair of the Indonesian Cattle and Buffalo Breeders Association (PPSKI) drh Nanang Purus Subendro.

PPSKI said that in the past month, 20 provinces had been exposed to PMK. Currently, according to Nanang, there are 5 million breeders with a population of cows reaching 18 million heads and buffaloes at 1.1 million heads.

Nanang said that Indonesia has been free of PMK since 1990. The first case of PMK, according to him, occurred in 1886, so it took more than a century to be free of PMK.