Farmer Dhan Narayan Kumal of Gorkha is pained because he has not been able to plough his fields to transplant paddy as his ox has fallen sick.

Most of his neighbours used tractors, and they have finished transplanting paddy on their farms.

“I haven’t even started. My ox contracted lumpy skin disease at the height of the transplanting season.”

Many small farmers have suffered winter crop losses and are short of cash to rent tractors.

Thousands of Nepali farmers across the country use cattle to plough their paddy fields, and the spread of the lumpy skin disease at the busiest time of the year has caused immense distress among them.

Experts have warned of a possible drop in the paddy harvest and dairy output which may trigger food insecurity this year. They say that the country is already grappling with high inflation, and a decrease in agricultural production could hurt people in the low income bracket.

Farmer Sitaram Shrestha of Gaurichhap, Gorkha is facing a similar problem. He has grown paddy seedlings in his nursery for transplantation, but his ox died last Wednesday due to the lumpy skin disease.

“I haven’t been able to prepare my fields yet,” he said. “Those who depend on cattle to plough their farms are in trouble. I don't know how I am going to transplant paddy this season.”

Lumpy skin disease has come as a double whammy to Nepali farmers who are being battered by a myriad of problems like low productivity, shortage of farm hands, scarce chemical fertilisers, lack of irrigation and heat waves.

Nepal’s farm sector employs 60 percent of the population and accounts for 24 percent of the GDP, and the latest disruption has elevated concerns over food security and small farmer incomes.

Farmers have experienced severe losses from extreme weather events over the past year. The record-shattering heat wave in Nepal this year is expected to slash crop yields.

The highly contagious transboundary animal disease is a new threat and a serious one, experts say.

Agricultural and veterinary experts have issued warnings that the continued transmission of the lumpy skin disease among livestock could threaten food security, along with the livelihoods of thousands of cattle farmers.

Lumpy skin disease is an infectious disease in cattle caused by a virus of the family Poxviridae. It is spread by insects that drink blood like mosquitoes and ticks. Infected cattle get fever and develop lumps on their skin.

The ailment was first recorded in Zambia in 1929, and has extended through Africa, and more recently, to parts of Europe.

The first cases in South Asia were detected in 2019, and it has since spread to India, China and Nepal. In Nepal, the disease was first reported in Morang in June 2020.

Until two years ago, the disease had sickened 3,301 cattle and 13 of them had died in 16 districts.

The infection has started to spread rapidly. As of March this year, it had reached 76 of the 77 districts in the country. Manang in the Himalayan region is the only district remaining untouched.

According to the Department of Livestock Services, the disease has sickened 702,903 cattle, mostly cows and buffalos. Among them, 453,919 animals have recovered and 25,782 have died.

Experts say that the number of deaths is alarming. They say that the government may have under-reported the deaths.

The outbreak has resulted in massive income losses to farmers since it has not only killed their cattle but also caused decreased milk production, emaciated animals and birth issues.

“The government has not paid much attention to the disease,” said farmer Ram Prasad Tiwari of Kawasoti in East Nawalparasi. “The veterinarians have suggested we maintain sanitation in the cattle sheds to minimise the impact of the disease.”

According to the farmers, infected cows give very little milk and they take three to six months to fully recover from the disease.

According to the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Expert Centre, daily milk production has shrunk by approximately 3,100 litres in East Nawalparasi as a result of the outbreak.

“The contagion will have a significant impact on small farmers, many of whom rear cattle for milk and meat for their livelihood. There could be huge economic losses if the spread is not stopped,” said Tirtha Raj Regmi, country director for Heifer International Nepal.

"It's a serious, serious issue. Once the animals are infected, it will impact output for a long time even though the mortality rate is small,” said Regmi. “The impact on production will push up the import of dairy products and further increase the trade deficit.”

According to him, the affected animals exhibit weight loss, reduced milk production, depression, lethargy and fever. In severe cases, death is the result.

Authorities have been vaccinating healthy cattle to try to protect the industry.

Last week, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal issued a directive to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development to come up with effective measures to bring the disease under control.

The impacts of the disease are already beginning to be seen. The dairy association has warned of a severe shortage of milk this year and has asked the government to lift the import ban to ensure adequate supply.

Rajendra Prasad Yadav, executive director at the National Dairy Development Board, told the Post in a recent interview that they have asked the government to allow the import of milk from India.

“Dairy associations have cited the prevalence of lumpy skin disease as the reason for the drop in milk output,” said Yadav. Meat producers say that prices may rise because of the disease.

Control options include vaccinations. The government has allowed private importers to import the Neethling strains vaccine.

“So far 1.37 million doses have been imported,” said Dr Mukul Upadhyaya, a senior veterinary officer at the Department of Livestock Services. He says the cost ranges from Rs160 to Rs200 per dose.

As per the Department of Livestock Service, 180,922 head of cattle have been vaccinated so far.

“The low rate of vaccination is because we have to administer the vaccines to only healthy cattle, and it is difficult to determine whether the animals are infected or not,” said Upadhyaya.

"If one cow in a herd is found to be infected, it is possible that others in the herd are infected too. We cannot administer the vaccine if herd immunity has developed in the cow. In such cases, the vaccine can be administered next year,” he said, adding that they had to look for areas where there is zero infection.

“That’s why the rate of vaccination is very low compared to the number of doses we possess.”

The livestock sector is one of the largest contributors to the economy, accounting for 13 percent to the country’s GDP. Among the 3.8 million farming households in the country, 95 percent own dairy animals, a government report has revealed.

“The disease is a challenge. If we fail to act on time, it will have a devastating impact on the economy,” said Regmi.

(Narayan Sharma in East Nawalparasi and Hariram Upreti in Gorkha contributed reporting.)