Cow purchase ban a bane to dairy farmers

Chittoor: Imposing ban on purchasing locally available quality cows causing distress to livestock farmers and hitting the dairy farming hard in the district. The small and marginal farmers belonging to SC and ST communities in the district are still actively involved in cow grazing, rearing and milk production.

The State government has instructed the state financial institutions like SC, BC, Kapu, and Minority corporations and Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Tribes Cooperative Finance Corporation Limited (AP TRICOR) to sanction loans with 50 percent subsidy for the beneficiaries to purchase milch animals. But, the government has made it mandatory for the beneficiaries to purchase the milch animals from Tamil Nadu state only.

Speaking to The Hans India, K Manikantan, a beneficiary of the scheme from Chittoor mandal expressed anguish as the banks were insisting to purchase cows from Tamil Nadu when highly productive cows are available in Punganur market in the district. He alleged that traders in Tamil Nadu are selling inferior quality cows to the AP beneficiaries.

“Cows purchased in Tamil Nadu cannot adjust to the local conditions. The government is unnecessarily insisting us to purchase the milch animals from Krishnagiri and Coimbatore cities,” he decried.

Saptagiri Grameena Bank (SGB) Chief Manager P Brahmaiah has admitted that the government had issued operational guidelines insisting the beneficiaries to purchase milch animals from neighbouring state. SGB official said that beneficiaries were told to purchase milch animals from Tamil Nadu as there is strong feeling that the milk production would be more of more quality and quantity.

By C Prabhakara Rao