State Government Develops Fodder Action Plan

The Telangana government has for the first time in the country developed an action plan for fodder for the livestock in the State with the support of Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute at Jhansi. Director of Animal Husbandry V. Laxma Reddy said the plan envisaged promoting white revolution in a big way as the State is endowed with plenty of water after construction of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. Since this had led to green revolution, the focus should now shift to white revolution with focus on making available sufficient fodder for cattle.

As a first measure, the plan recommended that farmers dedicate 10% of their agriculture land for fodder production so that their cattle have food security.

Milk Production

It was also suggested that milk production be stepped up to meet the requirement of Hyderabad which requires 25 lakh litres a day. When there is sufficient water available for agriculture and fodder production, there is no reason why cattle population should not grow. This will help milk production. Otherwise, the State was depended on Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to meet the requirement of Hyderabad.

The plan also discussed the varieties of fodder crop to be cultivated in Kharif and Rabi and its conservation. The State had a fodder shortage of 50% and ready-made feed for animals to the extent of 40%. The shortage could be overcome by exploiting the full potential of water.

Chop Cutters for Ryots

As regards conserving fodder for requirements in summer, it was suggested that the government supply chop cutters and baling machines to farmers to separate stem portion of fodder which also has high nutrition value. The same could be preserved till summer.

Source: The article is extracted from The Hindu, July 05, 2020.