COIMBATORE : Even as thousands are staging protests in support of jallikattu and demanding that bulls be saved, farmers are struggling to maintain their cows.
Due to severe shortage of fodder and water caused by the drought, many farmers now want to get rid of their cattle. They are forced to sell the animals for about half the price as buyers are few, again because of the difficulty in maintaining them.
“The lack of rains has led to a steep fall in groundwater levels in our locality. The levels have down to more than 1,000 feet,” said K Velusami, a farmer from Kaniyur. “Now, one load (400 kg) of hay costs Rs 35-40,000. The cost was earlier only Rs 15,000. We used to buy hay from the Gobi area, but they don’t have any this year. We have to go to the delta districts for hay now. Most farmers, including me, want to sell our cows due to the fodder crisis. But most people are not ready to buy cows, as it is difficult to maintain them in the present drought condition,” he added.
A buyer offered Rs 30,000 for a cow, but it originally cost Rs 50,000, said Velusami.
P Rathinasami, a farmer from KG Chavadi, said, “Because of the high fodder prices, I had to sell two of the five cows I had. Though worth Rs 40,000, a cow had to be sold for Rs 20,000. I am struggling to maintain the other cows. The price of cotton fodder has increased to Rs 18 per kg from Rs 5 and that of bran to Rs 1,200 for 50 kg from Rs 700”.
Also, he has to travel 1 km to get water for the household, to speak nothing of the cattle.
“We have not faced such a fodder crisis before. Maintaining cattle has become tough,” said K A Subramaniam, State secretary of the Milk Producers Welfare Association.
“Most farmers have reduced the number of their cattle to half. Milk production is decreasing,” he said.