Kerala govt promises five cows to teen dairy farmer, actor Jayaram to offer Rs 5 lakh aid
IDUKKI: When people across the world celebrated New Year, 15-year-old Mathew Benny and his family were grappling with a misfortune. Thirteen of the 22 cows the boy had nurtured at his farm in Velliyamattam died of hydrogen cyanide poisoning from tapioca root skin (hull) on Sunday.
The cattle were the only source of livelihood for the four-member family comprising his mother, elder brother and sister, after the passing of his father Benny in October 2020.
Seeing their plight, the government and individuals, including film actors, stepped forward on Tuesday to help Mathew get his dairy farm back in order. Minister for Animal Husbandry J Chinchu Rani and actor Jayaram visited Mathew’s house. While the minister promised five cows, the actor promised Rs 5 lakh which he had kept aside for the audio launch of his new film.
after visiting the latter’s house in Idukki
on Tuesday | Shiyami
Chinchu Rani told reporters the cows will be brought from the Kerala Livestock Development Board farm in Mattupetty with insurance coverage. The government considers the mass death of cattle as a disaster and will provide all necessary help to the family, she said. “The cows will be given within a week’s time. Cattle food for a month will also be provided free of cost,” she said. The minister said Milma will provide an emergency relief fund of Rs 45,000 to the family while the animal husbandry department will provide free coaching in scientific cattle farming to the young farmer.
Jayaram said he too had gone through a similar situation exactly six years ago with 22 cows at his farm dying of plant poisoning. “I had myself brought those cows from Tamil Nadu and my wife and children had named and nurtured each of them like family members. Hence, I can easily relate to the situation the boy is facing,” he said. The actor added that he will accompany Mathew to Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu and help him buy high breed cows at low cost from the farms there.
Fellow actors Mammootty and Prithviraj Sukumaran too have promised financial aid to Mathew’s family. Mammootty will hand over Rs 1 lakh and Prithviraj Rs 2 lakh, through their staff, to Mathew.
Lulu Group also handed over Rs 5 lakh to Mathew to buy 10 cows as per the directive of Lulu Group chairman Yusuffali M A. Thodupuzha MLA P J Joseph too handed over a cow from his own farm to Mathew.
Vets confirm hydrogen cyanide poisoning
The postmortem examination of the 13 cows, held under the leadership of chief veterinary officer Jessy C Kappan, confirmed the cows had died of hydrogen cyanide poisoning after they consumed tapioca root skin.
According to the autopsy report, the family fed the cows with tapioca root skin on Sunday at 8.30pm, following which the cows began to collapse. “Though all parts of the tapioca plant contains hydrogen cyanide, the tapioca hull contains it in large concentration,” Nisanth M Prabha, public relation officer with the animal husbandry department in Idukki, told TNIE.
Hydrogen cyanide poisoning in cows is quick and extremely brutal, causing respiratory, nervous and muscular disorders. The symptoms occur 10-15 minutes after ingestion and death some 15-30 minutes later.
Nishanth said a dose of 30 parts per million (ppm) of hydrogen cyanide is considered fatal for cows. “The only way to rescue affected cows is to inject them with sodium thiosulfate to neutralise hydrogen cyanide,” he said.
The boy who made cattle rearing a hobby during Covid
Cattle farming was not only a livelihood option for Mathew, after his father’s death in 2020, but also a means to relief from the lockdown-induced boredom. In 2021, Mathew had 14 cows in his family farm. The number was raised to 22 in 2023. “He is a superhuman. He has always tried to take care of people around him and the cattle are part of his life,’’ his mother Shiny told TNIE. From cleaning the cattle shed to distributing milk, Mathew manages the farm with the support of his 18-year-old elder brother George.