The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Fodder shortage could be a problem for Pasu Kranti

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 21, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Fodder shortage could be a problem for Pasu Kranti

Staff Reporter

Heavy demand for high-yielding Murrah buffaloes
Farmers ill equipped to maintain the animals

Sangareddy: While shortage of Murrah buffaloes in Rohtak of Haryana due to heavy demand from our State is delaying the ambitious Pasu Kranti programme, fodder would be the single factor that could determine the yield of these milch animals.

Waiting list

Around 60 farmers, mandal parishat president from Chinnakodur, one DRDA official, seven veterinary doctors and a bank official from Medak district are currently stranded in Rohtak as teams from other districts are in waiting list for the high-yielding buffaloes. The Medak team left Siddipet for Haryana on 14th of this month. The district is supposed to receive one rake full of animals (624) at the Zaheerabad station out of a total of 5,000 buffaloes by the end of the programme in different phases.

The team members were supposed to select animals that would yield 10 litres of milk per day. The government would pay Rs. 35,000 for one such buffalo and a unit (two buffaloes) costs Rs. 70,000. The beneficiaries, mostly of weaker sections, would initially be paid some money to purchase a quintal of fodder that the buffaloes from Haryana are used to. The buffaloes in Punjab and Haryana munch a lot of green fodder mixed with equal amount of dry fodder. Murrah buffaloes also require lots of drinking water. However, the herdsmen in the water-scarce district are not sure how a poor farmer could feed the animal to maintain the 10 litres per day milk yield so that he would be able to repay the loan.

Chilling centres

The government has assured forward linkages to the beneficiaries. It hopes to open 28 chilling centres in different mandals of the district to market the milk. However, the farmers would have the right to sell their produce wherever they want.

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