VALPOI
Dairy farmers have complained that an acute shortage of fodder has hit milk production in Sattari and many have attributed this shortage to low supplies of fodder from Karnataka.
According to some dairy farmers, then Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar had decided to increase Goa’s milk production under the Kamadhenu scheme. Many had sought the benefits of the scheme and had begun rearing cattle for the purpose of milk production and to start a business.
They claimed the scheme had been running very effectively since the last 15 years, but the situation has changed in the last one year or so, after dairy farmers in Sattari began facing a shortage of fodder.
With fodder shortage and a decline in milk production, several dairy farmers in Sattari were forced to sell off their cattle and shut down their businesses.
“A shortage of fodder has had a major impact on milk production. As a result, dairy business is not viable at present and many have closed their dairy business,” said a dairy farmer Bholo Dhoiphode.
Added Ramu Kharwat: “Due to the current shortage of fodder, dairy business is not sustainable. Loans were taken to purchase cattle and many have been unable to repay the loans and some have even lost their livelihood.”
Some dairy farmers told The Goan that significant stocks of fodder were earlier being procured from places like Khanapur, Jamboti and Belagavi in Karnataka.
“However, as the Karnataka government implemented a scheme in the area, a large number of farmers have begun dairy production and as a result, fodder from Karnataka has virtually come to a halt,” said a dairy farmer in Sattari.
The dairy farmers have now appealed to the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (AHVS) department to take immediate steps to increase fodder stocks in the State.
“The government needs to make sufficient fodder available in the State. But AHVS officials need to respond and act with urgency,” said Mahadev Usapkar, a dairy farmer.
Another dairy farmer claimed that fodder can be produced in many parts of Sattari. “Bandharas have been constructed at many places in almost all rivers in the taluka and a large amount of water is stored. If this water can be used for fodder production, the current shortage can be alleviated to a large extent,” he said.
