Md. Sahidur Rahman
Corresponding author:
Department of Livestock Services, Noakhali
Goutam Chandra Das
Department of Livestock Services, Upazila Livestock Office and Veterinary Hospital, Sadar, Noakhali, 3802, Bangladesh
COVID-19, Livestock, Marketing, Production, Recommendations, Food security, Food policy
Risk Management in Agriculture
Pandemic, Livestock, COVID-19
To contain the COVID-19 infection rate, the government of Bangladesh has imposed a nationwide lockdown, effective from March 26, 2020. This strategy inflicted a huge strain on all aspects related to livestock production and marketing in the country. Restrictions of movement and social distancing have led to an absence of labor. The banning of transport caused a shortage of animal feed and other logistical supplies, along with limited veterinary services. Following the lockdown, the closures of dairy food outlets and restaurants, as well as the prohibition of all types of social and cultural programs, had sharply decreased the market demand for milk, eggs, and meat. Furthermore, in Bangladesh on the various social networks, several unverified news have been circulated regarding domestic animals, especially chickens, that are able to transmit the SARS-CoV-2 virus to humans and this has led to a further drop in demand. There is no scientific evidence of viral transmission from animals to humans, neither via direct contact nor via meat consumption. COVID-19 is a human pandemic that potentially represents a risk for domestic animals. Previous studies have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 replicates poorly in dogs, chickens and ducks, while cats, ferrets, minks, cattle and sheep are permissive to infection. All such types of uncertainty have discouraged farmers from continuing the production of livestock which severely affected the livelihood of farmers and the economy of the country.
Along with the decrease in livestock production, the COVID-19 pandemic has also had a significant adverse effect on the supply chain. The lack of transportation facilities and the absence of value chain actors or middlemen have hampered the proper distribution, which has led to the deterioration of farm products and unexpected price down at the producer level. As milk is a perishable item, milk marketing channels have encountered problems very early on in this situation. Reports have found that farmers have had to throw away their farm milk onto the street as an act of a symbolic protest as there were no alternative ways to sell. Bangladesh Dairy Farmers' Association claimed that about 12–15 million liters of milk have remained unsold, which has caused an estimated daily loss of 570 million Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) (6.7 million USD). On the other hand, Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council estimated that the figure of the loss was at least 115 billion BDT (1.35 billion USD) within the short period of 20th March to 4th April. Moreover, due to the closing of marginal poultry farms, the price of day-old chicken also dropped sharply by almost 100%. A recent study in Bangladesh estimated the reduction of 30–45% in day-old chicks’ production, 35–40% in poultry feed production and 40–50% in the sale of medicines. As a result, COVID-19 has imposed a great threat to the food security of the country.
It is alarming that the COVID-19 pandemic might eventually lead to a gigantic economic crisis. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) projected that about 14–22 million people around the world are in danger of extreme poverty even if we are able to control the COVID-19 spread and overcome the pandemic. There is a possibility of implementing bans on the export of food products by most of the leading exporting countries. In consequence, livestock-derived food products won't be available in places where it will be required most. Hence, any failure in strong policymaking could accelerate the food crisis, and may worsen the disaster in Bangladesh.
Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, Volume 4, June 2021, 100128
Journal