Need to increase fodder cultivation area in State

R.Viswanathan, Regional Joint Director, Department of Animal Husbandry has stressed the need for increasing fodder cultivation area to improve dairy cow productivity in the district.

Addressing a seminar on ‘Soil-fodder-livestock interface augment livelihood security’ at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University at Kundrakudi, near here recently, he said there was good scope for increasing the fodder cultivation area in the district.

“The land availability for fodder cultivation has to be increased in the coming years through Tamil Nadu fodder development schemes,” he said. In Tamil Nadu, fodder crop was cultivated in about 1.72 lakh hectares, but there was an actual physical need to enhance the output by 42.6 per cent, he said.

The seminar was sponsored by State planning commission – Tamil Nadu State Land Use Research Board Scheme (TN-SLURB). Gurumoorthy, Joint Director of Agriculture, Sivaganga district stressed the need to eradicate ‘karuvelam trees’ (prosopis juliflora), which posed serious threat to farming.

District Forest Officer S. Gurusamy said that the department was taking necessary steps to promote tree fodder in the district for the benefit of the farming community. KVK scientists T.Selvaraj, V. Kumaravel and C. Sankar took part in the technical session.

Earlier S. Sendur Kumaran, Associate Professor and Head of KVK felicitated the special guests. He distributed tree fodder saplings to the farmers. An awareness exhibition was also conducted to benefit the farmers.

“In Tamil Nadu, fodder crop is cultivated in about 1.72 lakh hectares, the output must be raised by 42.6 per cent”