Fodder scheme brings cheers to farmers

Anantapur: Department of Animal Husbandry scheme to raise fodder in 5,000 acres by the end of financial year 2017-18 is yielding rich dividends to farmers as well as helping the department to have stocks of fodder for cattle in the summer season beginning from April 2018.

Dubbed as " Vurura Pashugrasa Kshetralu" under the scheme, farmers can lease their agriculture lands to the government and raise fodder plantations for the livestock in the villages.  

Under the scheme, the farmers can lease any extent of land to the government and raise fodder for the local livestock in the village. The farmers would sell the fodder at Rs.1 per kg to the livestock farmers.

The government is raising fodder under the scheme in 5,000 acres in the district. A lease amount of Rs..15,000 per acre is paid to the land owner cum farmer. The government is also paying Rs.35,000 per year for agriculture operations including sowing, irrigation and for harvesting the crop.

Already the department has facilitated sowing of the fodder grass in nearly 5,000 acres. Already the government started making payments to the farmers for the fodder supplied to the cattle farmers.

Animal Husbandry deputy director Dr B Sanyasi Rao told 'The Hans India' that the department is also encouraging Tank Bed (Tank Bund) Cultivation in 1,000 acres on Tank Beds in the district.

The tank beds are spread in Untimaddi, Kovulepalle, V T Cheruvu, Gummagutta and Nagasamudram mandals in the district. The fodder raising scheme was launched to meet the fodder shortage in the district.

About 15,000 metric tonnes of fodder has already been supplied to the farmers at a subsidised price. Door delivery of silage is being facilitated to farmers who apply for the same under the direction of the local veterinary doctor.

The district has a livestock population of 10.3 lakhs which include goat population of 3.8 lakh and sheep population of 7.9 lakhs. The district requires 20 lakh metric tonnes of fodder. 12 lakh tonnes of fodder is  supplied through paddy, groundnut, maize and other crops.

The fodder shortage in the district is to the order of 8.3 lakh tonnes. The fodder seed also is supplied at 70 per cent subsidy. So far 650 metric tonnes of fodder seed were supplied to farmers by the government.