Abhijit Mohanty | Oct 10, 2022 | 7 min read
Tribals get easy access to vaccines after the launch of solar-powered cold storage facilities, which reduce mortality among fowls. The State government’s pilot project also puts in place a decentralised vaccine distribution system that generates income for locals trained as paravets
Malkangiri, Odisha: “Fearing an outbreak of infectious diseases, we used
to sell off our desi (country) chicken before the rains.
Traders made the most of it, paying less than usual. However, this
year was different. Thanks to the solar-powered cold storage facility, I could
vaccinate all my fowls before the monsoon. Only five or six birds in my flock
of 50 died,” Anil Kirsani from Pulapally Colony in Mathili block told 101Reporters.
Over the years, livestock rearing has
served as a backup to meet financial emergencies in the tribal belt of
Malkangiri. “However, high mortality rates always
posed a problem for small farmers,” said Ranjita Pujari, the sarpanch of Mecca
panchayat in Mathili.
Narsingh Pula of Siripeta village said
his fowls started sneezing and coughing last monsoon, besides twisting their
necks. They became paralysed and died in a few days. Veterinary officials said
it was a case of Ranikhet (New Castle Disease).
In fact, Ranikhet and Fowlpox wiped
out the entire flock in Siripeta, Panighata and Banktiguda villages in Khairput
block last year. According to Binayak Mishra, district livestock coordinator for Somks, a regional NGO that promoted better
animal husbandry practices, goats and cattle succumbed
to Peste des Petits, Goat Pox, Haemorrhagic Septicaemia and Black Quarter
diseases.
The tribal income thus suffered a massive setback in the district, where over 58% of the population struggled with poverty, according to Niti Aayog’s National Multidimensional Poverty Index for 2021. Though vaccines were the only way to save their poultry, farmers had to travel 80 km to the district headquarters to buy them from unregistered agents for Rs 50 to 60 per bird and Rs 100 to 120 per goat.
Madhu Bhumia shows his solar-powered vaccine cold storage refrigerator at his house in Pushpali village (Photo: Abhijit Mohanty)
A shot in the arm
Mathili and Khairput blocks got their
solar-powered vaccine coolers in January 2022 under the Odisha government’s two-year
pilot project to assist local farmers in
tackling livestock mortality. Costing Rs 1,06,000, it comprises
solar panels, a refrigerator, a small cold storage box to take vaccines to the
customers, and other essential inputs/supplies.
Each refrigerator can store up to 100
litres of various vaccines. In the
event of a power outage, they can maintain cooling for 24 to 30 hours. These
functions are of utmost importance as erratic power supply and absence of cold
storage facilities impair vaccine efficiency in remote settlements, said
Khairput Block Veterinary Officer Tushar Mishra.
Vaccine availability and its decentralisation have come as a boon to
farmers in the area, where income from rainfed agriculture has come down
drastically due to climate change. “The
cold storage facility has encouraged farmers to scale up their livestock,”
noted Malkangiri Chief District Agriculture Officer Nandagiri Ramakrishna
Hayagreeva. It has also reined in distress sale of livestock.
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services initially
trained two farmers running large-scale livestock enterprises on how to keep
farm animals in good health. The solar panels and fridge were installed at
their houses, from where vaccine vials were supplied to other 40 tribal youth, who
were trained by the department in January. These para-veterinarians earn a
living by selling vaccines, but they have to bear their travel expenses themselves
to reach remote villages.
As per the agreement, the department purchases cold storage units and hands them over permanently to selected farmers, who have to give an undertaking that they would use it only for supply of vaccines to local farmers and paravets. A local NGO will also regularly monitor the smooth run of the system. The recipient farmer is responsible for the device's safety. The equipment comes with a one-year warranty, after which the farmers need to pay Rs 2,000 annually to get the manufacturer’s services.
In Khairput block, the cold storage facility is placed at the house of Madhu Bhumia of Pushpali Colony. “Agriculture is steadily becoming unprofitable. I supplement my family’s income by selling vaccines that the department provides. In the last three months, I have saved around Rs 8,000,” Bhumia beamed.
Farmers in 10 neighbouring villages
rely on Bhumia for vaccines. He earns Rs 1,400 to 2,000 per month by supplying
vaccines for 700 to 1,000 poultry birds at a subsidised rate of Rs 2 per bird. Similarly, he
supplies vaccines for 250 to 300 goats at Rs 5 per animal, adding Rs
1,250 to 1,500 to his earnings every month.
He also sells 150 to 200 vaccine vials
to other para-veterinarians at Rs 10 each to earn Rs 1,500 to 2,000. In turn,
the paravets provide vaccines in other rural areas. Each of them earns a
monthly income of Rs 3,000 to 5,000 by serving 100 to 120 farmers.
“Access to vaccines is now easier.
The demand is also rising,” shared Lachuram Chalan, at whose house in Mecca
village the cold storage facility for Mathili block is installed.
“We intend to establish a cadre of paravets at the community level,” Uday Kumar Kalyanapu, Livestock and Fishery Officer, Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN), told 101Reporters.
Meanwhile, Malkangiri District Collector Vishal Singh said routine vaccinations
would not be enough in the long run to sustain the benefits of small-scale
livestock rearing. “It is important to support community-led disease
management,” he advised.
A mix of everything
Dr Bikash Chandra Sardar, Malkangiri district nodal officer and
master trainer on better livestock management at the animal husbandry department, said farmers
received financial assistance for raising exotic and mixed-breed animals, but
such assistance was less common for native ones.
“Selecting the right breed that can
adapt to the local agroecosystem is critical. Local breeds have high
procreation rates and are resilient. They require little investment, but
provide excellent returns,” Sardar told 101Reporters. He added that improved feed quality and selective breeding would maximise the genetic
potential of various indigenous breeds.
“Farmers are eager to engage in free-range backyard poultry, but the
shortage of indigenous chicks poses a challenge. The government should help
establish breeding farms in remote areas to ensure supply at reasonable rates,”
appealed Balaram Kansari from Mathili’s Ambaguda village.
Beyond vaccinations, experts suggest use of tried-and-tested local concoctions to keep poultry in good health. “These practices should be documented and widely disseminated. The local paravets can be taught traditional herbal techniques to boost antibody production,” suggested Dr Sunil Kumar Dash, a livestock expert at WASSAN.
Balaram Sahu, a veterinarian and a
recipient of the National Award
from the Department of Science and Technology for promoting organic and
cost-effective methods for sustainable agriculture and livestock management,
said local communities have been using a variety of herbs, roots, leaves and
oils to improve the health and immunity of their cattle. “We should not dismiss
such low-cost herbal healing practices.”
In summers, poultry farmer Budra Dumali of Khatiguda adds turmeric
powder and aloe vera juice to the water bowls of birds to protect them from
heat stroke. “Aloe vera juice lowers their body temperature and turmeric
promotes growth,” Dumali explained.
Kamala Beta of Mecca said she applied a paste of neem and turmeric on
the skin of fowls that suffered from Fowlpox. Her other tip was to add lemon
and amla juice to the water in summers, which she said worked as an anti-stress
agent.
“We add dried Chiretta leaves to the
chicken feed once a month. It works as a dewormer and improves the digestive
system,” shared Ghanshyam Samarath of Temurupali.
Edited by Gia Claudette Fernandes
Cover image by Abhijit Mohanty: Malkangiri goat breed is small sized but heavy chevon is reared for its quality meat and early maturity characteristic.
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