ASSESSING THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATION OF SMALL RUMINANT DISEASES IN THE UPPER EAST REGION

Abstract

A survey on the economic impact assessment of small ruminant diseases was conducted in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Primary data was collected using simple random sampling technique, a total of four hundred (400) questionnaires designed with open and closed questions were administered randomly to selected small ruminant farmers from Kassena Nankana Municipal, Bolgatanga Municipal, and Bongo District in the Upper East Region of Ghana during the period of 2nd July, 2022 to 30th July, 2022. The results of the survey indicate that demographic factors, production factors, animal housing factors, feeding characteristics, management practices, and herd structure are significant determinant of small ruminant production. The results also indicate that more small ruminant diseases were recorded in the rainy season (75.8%) than the dry season (14.2 %) with worms’ infestation (43.5%) being the highest. Major small ruminant diseases recorded in this study includes; PPR, Anthrax, Bloat, Mastitis, and Mange. The effect of diseases outbreak per annum on small ruminant production includes loss of investment (32%), high cost of treatment (29.1%), and mortality (24.0%). Total cost of disease prevention was GH¢412 while that of disease control measures was GH¢784.80p per each farmer. The number of sheep and goats that died in a year as a result of diseases were 1,237 and 1,192 respectively. In monetary terms, GH¢435,509 and GH¢346,552 were lost for sheep and goats, respectively while each farmer losses GH¢1,408.30p and GH¢1,162.90p for sheep and goats, respectively due to mortality in a year. The study on the economic impact of diseases on small ruminants in the Upper East Region reveals that major small ruminant diseases have both direct and indirect consequences on small ruminant production as well as Ghana's economy. Its therefore recommended that, farmers should implement proper management practices, to optimize the health and productivity of their herd, improve overall efficiency, and enhance profitability.