Distress sale of beloved cattle

Signals acute drought in Telangana

Mahbubnagar/Nalgonda/Nizamabad: Farmers across the districts of Mahbubnagar, Nizamabad, Nalgonda, Adilabad and others have been making unprecedented distress sale of cattle in weekly village markets which is a dire indication of prevailing drought conditions in the State.

It is not exaggeration to mention that several thousands of cattle are being herded to the weekly markets all over the State after the farmers find it difficult to feed them. Due to the deficit rainfall in the State, there is hardly any fodder available for the cattle.

The cattle are being sold to abattoirs of Karnataka, Maharashtra and other States. A large number of cattle are seen on sale at the weekly markets of Satapoor, Kamareddy, Indalvai, Darpalli, Balkonda and other places in Nizamabad district.

So is the case of various weekly markets in Mallepalli, Devarakonda, Chanduru, Munu- godu, Tirumalagiri, Narketpalli, Kodada of Nalgonda and other places in the districts of Adilabad and Mahbubnagar.

Fodder has become a big problem to the farmers. There is no fodder available in their fields as the crops withered away. Farmers of Bhuvanagiri, Alair, Munugodu, Tungaturti, Nakire- kal and Devarakonda areas in Nalgonda district have been striving to procure fodder for their cattle and ready to spend Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000 per tractor load, but to no avail.

While the state government had already declared 22 mandals in Nalgonda as drought-hit, farmers in 36 mandals of Nizamabad district have been facing severe shortage of fodder. Though the government declared the list of drought-hit mandals, the farmers have so far not received any help from the government.

The government, which is supposed to provide grass seed to the farmers where water is available, has so far done nothing. The Handbook for Management of Drought issued by the then united State government in 1995 states that the government should procure paddy straw and jowar straw from the surplus pockets in the state and sold it to the farmers at 50 per cent cost with free transport facility.

The government should also help the farmers to produce fodder in their fields where water is available by supplying grass seed and others. The Handbook also states that the government should organise cattle camps in the areas where distress is widespread to feed them free of cost.

The Handbook also states that the cattle owners should be supplied feed supplements like vitamins, min-mixture and urea molasses on fifty per cent subsidy to overcome the adverse effects of malnutrition to the cattle.

Cattle forming an important part of agriculture activities, no farmer would sell them unless extreme conditions like drought affect them. Unable to feed the cattle, they are compelled to bring a large number of oxen and buffaloes to the markets at Satapoor cattle market in Renjal mandal of Nizamabad district. These cattle are not the emaciated but healthy and robust.

Fall in groundwater levels, fall in cultivation and yield, and large scale migration of labourers are the key reasons that force the farmers to sell away the cattle. In Nizamabad district alone, it has been estimated that six lakh metric tonnes of fodder is needed for the cattle from January to March.

However, fodder is not available to buy though they are ready to spend Rs 7,000 as against the previous rate of Rs 2,000 per tractor load. Milk yield has considerably come down throughout the district as the cattle feed has become costly and dry fodder is not available.

Bhumaiah, farmer of Satapoor said that farmers are bringing their healthy cattle from five or six nearby mandals to Satapoor cattle market. Cattle trader Zakeel said that there used to be sale of cattle and farmers used to purchase them.

Now the cattle are being sold to the abattoirs, which is really pathetic. The scene is no different in Mahbubnagar district which has been drought-hit for the last several years. Sizable number of cattle is seen in the cattle markets at Devarakadra, Kaverammapet, Kothakota, Pebberu, Maktal, Telkapalli and other places in the district. Some farmers who purchased a couple of bulls at the rate of Rs 60,000 are ready to sell them for Rs 40,000 but no takers.

Ramulu of Bandarpalli village in Chinna Chintakunta mandal said that he was selling the cattle as there was no other go. He said that he would migrate to some other district along with his family after selling the cattle.

Venkataiah of Madharam village of Dhanwada mandal said that he cultivated cotton in three acres and the crop withered away due to the deficit rainfall. He was compelled to distress sale of his cattle, he added.

Officials estimated that at least 10 lakh metric tonnes of fodder is needed for the all types of cattle and sheep in Mahbubnagar district. However, six lakh metric tonnes of fodder is available. Though there is a clear shortage of four lakh metric tonnes of fodder, the officials have not undertaken any concrete steps to overcome it.

The farmers are keeping in the milch cattle and selling away the rest of the cattle. It has become difficult for them even to feed the milch cattle. Several farmers various mandals in Adilabad district also sold their cattle in the weekly cattle market at Adilabad. Farmers from Jainad, Tamsi, Talamadugu and other mandals are bringing their cattle to sell at throwaway price in the Adilabad weekly cattle market.

B Krishna Goud of Ammanabolu village in Nalgonda district says that of the four buffaloes he had, he sold away two and kept the milch cattle. “To feed the milch cattle I purchased fodder at the rate of Rs 8,000 per tractor load in Atmakuru mandal,” he added.

Aili Sudarsan of Kolluru village in Alair mandal said that he could not cultivate even half acre out of the six acres he owned. Since fodder is not available, he sold three of the five buffaloes at Nawabpet cattle market in Warangal district.

T Sagar, vice-president of Telangana Ryot Sangham, expressed concern over the distress sale of cattle all over Telangana. He said that the farmers cultivate jowar not only for food but also for its grass. Since the jowar crop withered away, the grass was also lost much to the chagrin of the farmers, he added.

The situation would aggravate during summer, he said adding that it was high time the government took initiative to solve the problem. V Shyam Mohan Rao, Director of District Animal Husbandry department told The Hans India that there was 82,000 metric tonnes shortage of fodder in the district and the government has already supplied 317 tonnes of grass seed to the farmers.

He said that the farmers were distributed 250 tonnes of jowar, 50 tonnes maize, ten tonnes of Nutrifeed, and seven tonnes of sugar grease variety seed to the farmers. Animal Husbandry and Agriculture departments confirm sale of cattle in the districts of Medak, Ranga Reddy and Karimnagar also. The officials said that six lakh livestock in Medak district and one lakh cattle in Karimnagar district were sold.