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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | India needs more fodder to prevent cattle starvation -Abhishek Rajan

India needs more fodder to prevent cattle starvation -Abhishek Rajan

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published Published on Aug 22, 2017   modified Modified on Aug 22, 2017
-VillageSquare.in

The estimated increase in cattle population due to growth in dairy farming and ban on cow slaughter will need increased production of fodder and restoration of common pastures to prevent livestock starvation

Nashik (Maharashtra):
The milk that we drink everyday does not appear from thin air. A dedicated amount of feed and fodder is needed for the cattle to survive and to produce milk. Providing the right quantity of feed is a matter of concern for every cattle owner.

India is facing acute shortage of feed and fodder and its negative influence on the dairy economy is being discussed widely. If the deficit in quality fodder continues and if no efforts are directed at bridging this demand-supply gap, India may have to import milk by 2021, according to studies.

The major challenges faced by the feed and fodder production industry are the fixed area under fodder production and decline in pasturelands. Another factor is the replacement of coarse cereal crops, one of the main sources of crop residues, by commercial crops.

Area under fodder production has remained static for the past four decades — around 4% of the Net Sown Area (NSA) — and common property land resources are declining annually, at the rate of 19 hectare per 1000.

Impact of bad monsoon

An exploration in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra shows the extent to which a natural adverse phenomenon such as drought can worsen the fodder situation. Kisan Bapad, a small farmer from Nashik’s Lonarwadi village, requires 100 kg of green feed and 35 kg of dry fodder to feed his herd of five milch cattle, two draught cattle and four young stock on a daily basis. While he gets dry fodder from his own fields, he has to buy the entire green feed from other farms.

“Sourcing fodder is both a capital and a time-intensive job. Entire Marathwada has been witnessing weak monsoons in recent years, which has further compounded the acute scarcity of feed and fodder in the region,” Bapad told VillageSquare.in on the year-round availability of fodder.

Earlier when the monsoons were good, the farmers had to procure green fodder for only eight months because common grazing land of the village took care of the fodder requirements for the rest of the year. Bapad expressed concern over the shrinking pastures in his village, just as in other villages. Nonetheless, Lonarwadi village wasn’t as severely affected from drought as Dindori taluk, about 50 km from Lonarwadi, due to watershed improvement.

“Consecutive dry spells have not only destroyed our farm output but also affected the livestock badly due to chronic shortage of fodder and water,” Babaji Ngalu, a small farmer from Dindori, told VillageSquare.in. Non-availability of fodder and water forced Ngalu to reduce his cattle herd by selling off a pair of bullocks and some youngstock at less than half the price.

His milch cows survived the drought with the help of private fodder camps set up in the neighborhood. He also attributed the low price realization of bullocks to the new anti-cattle slaughter legislation enacted by the Maharashtra government, which has caused steep crash in prices, compounding the concerns of cattle owners.

Please click here to read more.

VillageSquare.in, 21 August, 2017, https://www.villagesquare.in/2017/08/21/india-needs-more-fodder-to-prevent-cattle-starvation/


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