Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, May 4: Because of lockdown, the entire Dakshina Kannada district is facing acute fodder shortage. Without fodder, cattle are turning weaker. The cattle shelters too are faced with the need to somehow manage things with temporary, stop-gap arrangements by getting small quantities of fodder from elsewhere.
For example, entrepreneur, Prakash Shetty, who had set up a private cattle shelter at Kapila Farms near Kenjar here six years back is now selling off the cattle one by one with heavy heart as he finds it hard to provide fodder to the animals. He said that his farm houses over 200 bovine animals belonging to 13 different breeds including rare indigenous breeds like Malnad Gidda, Kasargod Gidda, Gir etc. "I need about two lac rupees to look after the cattle every month. But because of lockdown, my business has come to a standstill. Moreover, finding fodder for the cattle has become very difficult," he narrated.
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Shetty said that he now feels it better to sell the cattle instead of watching them inching towards death due to shortage of fodder. He added that so far he has sold 15 animals.
Similar is the situation at Govanithashraya Trust's cattle shelter at Kairangala. This facility too faces acute fodder shortage and it is finding hard to get fodder from other districts. Trust's secretary, Dr P Ananthakrishna Bhat, informed that the shelter has 360 cattle and that monthly expenses including fodder, treatment of cattle and salary to staff works out to about eight lac rupees per month. "Now-a-days, we are not getting donations. Locally fodder is not available," he rued.
He said that because of lack of agricultural activities in Dakshina Kannada districts, dependency on neighbouring districts for fodder has become a must, and that getting fodder is facing problems due to lockdown.
People who feed themselves by taking decorated bullocks from door to door and collecting whatever the families offer to them also are facing hardships as they are hit hard by fodder shortage. Kondanna, one such person, who earns a living by accompanying the bullock, explained that fodder shortage coupled with hot weather has been rendering the life tiresome for the animals and his dependency on the animals for a living is in serious peril.
Deputy director in the animal husbandry department Dr Jayaraj, said that Dakshina Kannada district is facing shortage of fodder and that the issue has been brought to the notice of the district deputy commissioner. He said that arrangements would be made soon to get fodder from other districts.