The West Java Food Security and Animal Husbandry Office (DKPP) is taking an inventory of livestock affected by the Cianjur earthquake.
The 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Cianjur on November 21 also affected livestock in the district, the office’s head, Moh Arifin Soedjayan, said here on Wednesday.
“Currently, it has been confirmed that a number of farms in Cianjur are affected, considering that the district is one of the centers of beef and dairy cattle,” Soedjayan explained.
The inventory is being conducted with the help of the Cianjur Animal Husbandry Office and the West Java Indonesian Veterinary Paramedic Association (PAVETI), with the activity centered in Warungkondang sub-district, Cianjur.
The affected livestock could be crushed in quake wreckage, damaged cages, or face scarcity of water and feed, Soedjayan said.
The areas affected by the quake include “corporate villages,” which manage at least one thousand beef cows. These villages are operated under the Ministry of Agriculture’s program and are located across several sub-districts in Cianjur.
“Among them, there are affected four to five corporate villages in Cugenang sub-district,” he informed.
In these villages, farmers have complained about feed because the Agriculture Ministry has provided and distributed aid.
“(The farmers) have supplies of concentrates, but fodder for animal feed is a bit difficult (to get),” he explained.
It has been reported that many beef cow and dairy cattle farmers have complained about the difficulty of obtaining forage for animal feed because the farm areas are surrounded by building wreckage and landslides.
Meanwhile, the West Java DKPP has sent some animal feed to the office’s technical implementation unit (UPTD) in Buni Asih village, Warungkondang, Cianjur.
“We meet the needs at UPTD first, after that the fodder assistance will be distributed to cattle farmers,” Soedjayan said.
The results of the inventory taken by the district and provincial administrations will be reported to the Ministry of Agriculture for a further decision on whether assistance will need to be provided or not.
Source: Antara News