KZN govt concerned about foot-and-mouth disease impact on economy

The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Finance said it is concerned about the impact of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) on the provincial economy and jobs in the agriculture sector. 

Finance MEC Francious Rodgers tabled the provincial budget in the legislature in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday. 

KZN is the epicentre of the national FMD outbreak with over 200 confirmed cases.  

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Rodgers told the house that the disease has jeopardised food security and trade. 

"The FMD outbreak is threatening livelihoods, having caused losses in revenue for the agricultural sector, while there have also been export and trade disruptions, higher operational costs for the farmers, rising food prices, to name a few."

But, he added, the government is responding to the crisis.

"Government is in the process of rolling out a massive vaccination campaign aimed at creating a buffer zone and stopping the spread of this disease."