GADAG: Farmers, who have been facing drought for the last one year, and whose crops were damaged due to incessant rain in 2022, are now migrating in the face of financial crisis, unable to buy seeds for cultivation.
A few farmers have now resorted to selling their cattle, for as low as Rs 50,000-60,000 an animal, owing to fodder shortage. During better times, each head of cattle was priced upwards of Rs 1 lakh. In some other villages, herds of cattle have become weak for want of fodder.
The farmers of the district are the worst hit due to rapid climatic changes in the last two years. In 2022, the region received heavy rain, ravaging the yield. As a twist of fate, the following year saw drought take over the region, making the farmers lose both their rabi and kharif crops.
Hence, farmers are forcibly selling off their prized cattle. Concurrently, prices for fodder have also increased. Earlier, the price for one tractor-load of fodder was Rs 3,000, which has now crossed Rs 10,000, worsening the farmers’ already worrying situation.
Sangamesh Nayak, a farmer from Ron, said, “There is drought everywhere and we have lost our crops consecutively. Several farmers are now staring at a financial crisis. Cattle are essential for cultivation, and farmers are now forced to sell them off due to inflating fodder prices, compounded by the drought situation. We request the district administration to start fodder banks to tide over the grim situation.”
“We are now starting a fodder bank to help farmers. In the first phase, we will open fodder banks at five-gram panchayats, each of which will have 4-5 truck-loads of fodder,” Gadag district in-charge minister HK Patil reiterated.