KALABURAGI: It is not easy to live in Aland, especially if you are a farmer. Located on the northern tip of the state, the taluk regularly sees temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius during summer. Add to this the worst drought in the past three decades and one can understand why villages in Aland are emptying out
this season.
Parched fields and empty wells surround farmers in this taluk, reminding them daily of the futility of trying to thrive here. With no crops and no jobs, farmers are falling back on their sole source of income as well their greatest asset, cattle, to help fund their push for survival by migrating to the cities. Around 20,000 heads of cattle have been sold in the past 90 days, translating into a windfall for cattle traders in neighbouring Maharashtra.
“No crops in my field, no job and no water to drink,” says Suryakant Rajol, a resident of Dhuttargaon village. Rajol and his wife, once proud farmers, now work as labourers at a cricket ground in Bengaluru. When TNIE spoke to district officials, they said that they were unaware of any distress sale of cattle. “There are two fodder banks but no one has come forward to purchase fodder,” they said. However, farmers said that they were not aware of the existence of these banks.
In nearby Kadaganchi, Mahantesh, a resident, says he has not seen such a severe drought in the past 35-40 years.Mahantesh was forced to sell his cattle, purchased for `1.20 lakh, for `80,000 around a month ago. Just a week ago, he also sold a cow, bought at `50,000 for `20,000 lesser. “There is no fodder or water in the village or any nearby villages. How can we feed the cattle or give them water?,”he asked.
Like others, Mahantesh visited the cattle fair in Umarga in Maharastra, held every year during March, April and May.Located close to the border, towns like Umarga, Kilari and Rasgi have become hunting grounds for rich farmers or butchers, who swoop in and offer a price of their choice to these farmers, who have no choice but to accept.
“All 140 villages in Aland are facing a similar situation. The cattle are purchased at cheap rates as the buyers know that the farmers will take whatever is offered,” said social activist Chandrashekhar Hiremath. Farmers in Aland usually grow Jowar and Tur dal and the by-product is used as fodder. However, this year, 95 percent of the crop has failed. “A lot of them have migrated to big cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. There is no fodder bank here and water supplied is not enough. Everybody is busy with election work and the farmers have no one to approach,” Hiremath pointed out.
Besides fodder, the villages are also struggling for water. In Konchavaram gram panchayat, in Chincholi taluk, Banjara women cover a distance of four kilometers to bring water.The government has declared all seven taluks of Kalburagi as drought affected and has started supplying water to 140 villages, but for the farmers who already parted with their cattle, it is too little too late.