Rp 5 Billion Earmarked to Tackle Outbreak

The government has earmarked Rp 5 billion (US$357,541) in the state budget to support the field activities of a joint team tasked to tackle the spread of the African swine fever (ASF) outbreak.

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

Farmer I Made Agustina cleans his pig pen in Banjar Sedang Kelod, Sedang village, Abiansemal district, Badung regency, Bali, on Dec. 9 (9/12/2019). Farmers and local governments in Bali are trying to prevent the spread of African swine fever (ASF) by keeping their livestock healthy and their pig pens clean.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The government is urging its citizens to work together to curb the spread of the African swine fever (ASF) outbreak. It is hoped that the disease remains isolated in North Sumatra. The government has earmarked Rp 5 billion (US$357,541) in the state budget to support the field activities of a joint team tasked to tackle the disease.

The Agriculture Ministry’s farms and animal health director general, I Ketut Diarmita, said in an official statement on Thursday (19/12/2019) that the public should report all deaths and illnesses with ASF symptoms.

In a decree signed by Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo on 12 December 2019, the ministry said that ASF had been found in 16 regencies and cities in North Sumatra.

Diarmita said the implementation of biosecurity principles, such as proper burial, disinfection, monitoring of traffic of swine and its derivative products, swill feeding ban, information dissemination and training, would be important to tackle the outbreak.

Indonesian Monogastric Association (AMI) chairman Sauland Sinaga said he hoped all relevant parties would help isolate the virus to prevent it from spreading outside North Sumatra. The AMI also hoped for a best-case scenario for ASF-affected farmers, including financial assistance and training on proper biosecurity.

Provide compensations for smallholder farmers.

House of Representatives Commission IV deputy head Daniel Johan said that he urged central and regional administrations to work fast in tackling the ASF outbreak. “Furthermore, provide compensations for smallholder farmers, at least to anticipate [reduced income] in the next three months or to start up new businesses,” Daniel said on Thursday.

Agriculture Ministry animal health director Fadjar Sumping Tjatur Rasa said that the ASF outbreak remained isolated in 16 regencies and cities in North Sumatra.

However, authorities in other provinces with high swine population, such as East Nusa Tenggara, North Sulawesi, West Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, Bali, Central Java, Central Sulawesi, Riau Islands and Papua, are urged to be cautious on the possibility of ASF outbreak.

A simulation of ASF and other exotic animal diseases, involving veterinarian authorities from 50 regencies/cities and 17 provinces, was recently held in Bali. The goal was to introduce and train the veterinarians on the standard operation procedures to prevent and tackle ASF outbreak.

KOMPAS/NIKSON SINAGA

Farmers show pigs that are suspected of having African swine fever (ASF) in Helvetia village, Sunggal district, Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra, on Dec. 9 (9/12/2019). As many as 23,000 pigs have died in 16 districts in North Sumatra in recent months. However, farmers have not received clarficiation about the disease.

Relatively small impact

Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Kadin) deputy head for trade affairs Benny Soetrisno said that the ASF outbreak in North Sumatra had a relatively small impact on national export performance. Trade Minister Agus Suparmanto said similarly in an interview after a send-off ceremony for the first batch of export of small and medium enterprise (SME) products through the bonded e-commerce logistics center in Marunda Centre, Bekasi, on Thursday.

North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi said in Medan on Thursday that the budget of Rp 5 billion would be used to tackle the outbreaks. No specific allocation was made to assist affected farmers.

Efforts being undertaken include establishing posts to shut down swine trade traffic in and out of North Sumatra and procuring heavy machinery to bury dead swine to prevent the carcasses from spreading the disease.

North Sumatra food and farming security agency’s animal health division head, Mulkan Harahap, said that his office had yet to receive an official letter from the Agriculture Ministry regarding the ASF outbreak declaration.

Mulkan said regencies and cities in North Sumatra had veterinarian officers, even if the number was limited.

The high domestic and international traffic of people and goods in Batam makes the island city prone to ASF. Tanjung Pinang Class II Agriculture Quarantine Cneter head Donni Muksydayan said Batam had many smallholder swine farms. Animals in smallholder farms are prone to viruses as they do not implement proper biosecurity principles.

Riau Islands food security, agriculture and animal health agency head Ahmad Izhar said he had ordered officers to monitor all local farms so that indications of infection could be found out early on.

Bali farming agency head I Wayan Mardiana said that he had distributed circulars to farming agencies in local regencies and cities regarding efforts to prevent the spread of ASF. Apart from training local farmers on proper biosecurity principles, they are also urged not to use leftover foods from hotels, airplanes and ships as swine feed.

Indonesian Veterinarians Association chairman Muhammad Munawaroh said leftover animal feed was among mediums spreading the ASF virus. This is dangerous for swine farms without strict biosecurity principles.

(MKN/CAS/JUD/WSI/NDU/COK)