Failure of the authorities concerned to procure required quantity of fodder for distribution among cattle growers and farmers resulted in distress sale of cattle in weekly animal markets in the district.
Selling of cattle for meat has steadily been on the rise following acute dry conditions prevailing in the State. Farmers, unable to feed the cattle, are resorting to selling them to reduce the burden of providing them with fodder. The cattle markets at Satapur, Indalwai, Dichpally, Kamareddy, Darpally and other places were crowded with cattle, their owners and traders.
Though the Animal Husbandry Department supplied fodder seeds with subsidized rates, farmers could not grow them owing to lack of water for irrigation. Earlier, they used to grow fodder for bulls and milch animals on small tracts of lands. Since many of the bore-wells went dry, there is nothing but barren lands.
Reports reaching here said that the shortage has been acute in Kamareddy revenue division and in the western parts of the district where the canal water source is meagre. Unofficial sources put the sale of cattle in the last three-four months at 1.60 lakh, but official sources did not confirm the figure.
There is no availability of dry hay, let alone green grass. Excessive use of harvesters has also played havoc as they destroy grass when the crop is harvested. To avoid excess expenditure on fodder and to minimise losses, households that are eking out a living on dairy farm are sending the cattle to slaughter houses. Similar is the situation when it comes to goats and sheep.
As farmers are not able to feed the cattle, they are selling them at a throwaway price. According to reports, as of now, seven to eight lakh tonnes of fodder are required, given the size of cattle population.
TJAC chairman M. Kodandaram, who visited the drought-hit Kamareddy division a couple of days ago, warned that if the distress sale of cattle was not arrested immediately, it would badly affect the cultivation as bulls and oxen would not be available for poor farmers to till the land.
