MYSURU: With the Tamil Nadu forest department imposing blanket ban on cattle grazing in its forests, the cattle owners are trying to graze thousands of animals in Karnataka forests.
This has also given scope for contract cattle grazing that has gained momentum in Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. The villagers in Karnataka borders of Nalaroad and neighboring villages have raised compound walls with locally available stones in one to two acres and build water tanks to house the cattle.
Many of the families on the border are paid `100 per cattle per year and are assigned to graze 100 to 200 cattle in herds in the forests of Nalroad, Maratahalli and Pedanapalaya in Ramapura forest range.
As the landless poor families have nothing to fall back for livelihood other than working as labourers in fields or in forest department during the non-agriculture season, they have taken up contract grazing in the region.
Siddi Bai, a women grazing more than one hundred cattle, said they make around `30,000 selling cow dung to farmers or estate owners in neighbouring Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The Bedagampana community residing in Bargur area of Tamil Nadu and also in Palar region has no option other than going for contract grazing.
While, Earamma said they have around 150 cattle owned by farmers in Tamil Nadu. They come once in a year to collect calfs.
Though, the forest officials on Karnataka keep a vigil and make surprise check to know the ownership of cattle, the local residents claim ownership and hide contract grazing that is flourishing in the borders.
