Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner Shilpa Nag on Tuesday, November 21, appealed to farmers to conserve available fodder stocks for their livestock and also cultivate fodder for the days ahead so that they don’t face any shortage.
She said five taluks had been declared drought-hit because of the failure of monsoon. As per the 20th census of livestock and other animals, the district has 2,59,279 livestock and the total number reaches 2,78,199 by including sheep and goat. For these animals, the district has fodder stock that can last for the next 20 weeks, she added.
In the coming days, the district may require 11,870 metric tonnes of fodder a week. If the demand is taken into consideration, the district required 2,84,880 metric tonnes of fodder.
She advised farmers to stock fodder after the crop harvest for feeding their animals. Fodder from paddy, maize, wheat, ragi, bajra, groundnut, millets, pulses and cereals can be conserved for their livestock. They should not burn fodder and ensure the fodder does not get destroyed in rains.
If farmers have more than the required quantities of fodder, they can go to the nearest government veterinary centres in their taluks and register their names with address and the quantity of fodder in surplus so that they can be approached by farmers for purchasing the fodder stock through the department whenever there is a crisis, the DC said.
Fodder seeds were being distributed for free across the district to ensure that there was no fodder scarcity in the coming days. Farmers with irrigation facilities can make use of the facility and take up fodder cultivation, she appealed.
