HYDERABAD, Dec 11: Sindh will be declared a Rinder pest-free province by February 2003 as no case of this disease, which is fatal for livestock, has been reported in the province during the current year.

This was stated by the federal animal husbandry commissioner and national coordinator for the European Commission Project, Dr Rafaqat Hussain Raja, while speaking at the inaugural session of a training workshop here on Wednesday.

The 10-day workshop on “Participatory Disease Surveillance” started at the Livestock Research Training Institute, Tando Mohammad Khan.

The European Commission, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the government of Pakistan and the Sindh livestock department are extending financial and technical assistance for the workshop.

Dr Raja, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said in the first quarter of the next year, a training course would be started in Sindh for experts in veterinary vaccination and diagnostic laboratory.

Twenty-three veterinary experts from Sindh, two from Balochistan and one each from Punjab and NWFP will be given training on the control of Rinder pest and other diseases which are common in livestock.

Speaking on the occasion, the director-general of the Sindh livestock and fisheries, Dr Baz Mohammad Junejo, said the Rinder pest had hit some areas of Afghanistan, Sudan and Pakistan.

He, however, hoped the disease would be eradicated in these countries in the next five years.

He said due to outbreak of animal diseases in 1980s, Pakistan had suffered a loss of billions of rupees.

Dr Junejo said due to efforts of the Sindh livestock department, 50 veterinarians and 400 livestock owners had been imparted training to control these diseases.

In his welcome speech, the director of the Sindh animal husbandry, Dr Ghulam Sarwar Shaikh, said the last case of Rinder Pest was reported in Sindh in 2000.

He said with the cooperation of the European Union and the FAO, a disease control strategy had been evolved and work was going on to collect relevant data.

He said the purpose of the workshop was to collect necessary information about fatal animal diseases in remote areas.

He said 10 more such workshops will be held during the next year.