Prevailing drought conditions and the resultant fodder scarcity were forcing farmers to sell their cattle to traders in Kerala for the purpose of meat, said G.K. Nagaraj, State President of Kongu Nadu Jananayaka Katchi on Thursday.
In a statement, Mr.Nagaraj said that dry spell has begun in Coimbatore region and the drought conditions have started resulting in fodder scarcity and cattle feed prices going up.
This has resulted in people selling their cattle to merchants in Kerala for slaughtering them to meet the demand for meat.
Dwindling population'Glaring example is the dwindling population of cattle in Kalapatty.
Dairy farmers have begun selling their cattle. They have also begun to take up jobs as daily wage workers.
Failure to properly maintain water bodies and depleting groundwater table are some of the causes for this condition. As a result cattle feed that used to be sold at Rs 5 is now priced at 25.
In addition to scarcity of fodder and feed, acute drinking water crisis would also loom large during summer. These will in turn lead to milk shortage also.
The state president has, therefore, appealed to the Government to extend tax concessions, free distribution of fodder and incentives to dairy farmers.
He also called for expediting the distribution of relief for those who had lost their cattle to foot and mouth disease.
