Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Oct 16 As a large swathe of Maharashtra reels under drought, former Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar has asked the state government to provide fodder directly to farmers’ doorsteps (cattle sheds).
In a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, Sattar, an MLA of the ruling Shiv Sena, suggested setting up fodder depots instead of organising fodder camps in drought-hit villages.
Referring to declaration of drought in 305 out of the 358 talukas across 32 districts due to a deficient monsoon, he said, “Crops have been lost and there is water scarcity also. Therefore, farmers face a challenge ensuring the survival of their cattle. Farmers also face problems in transportation of animals and management of fodder.”
In this backdrop, the government should provide fodder directly to farmers’ doorsteps (cattle sheds) instead of setting up fodder camps, emphasised Sattar, who was the Agriculture Minister from 2022 to 2023 in the Eknath Shinde government.
Adequate water and medical facilities must be made available for animals, said the MLA from Sillod in central Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.
Vidarbha and Marathwada regions together account for more than 60 per cent of the drought-affected talukas in Maharashtra.
Earlier this week, Chief Minister Fadnavis announced that an initial relief amount of Rs 5,000 would be deposited directly into farmers’ bank accounts ahead of Diwali (November 8).
Sorghum (jowar) straw bunches are the primary source of fodder in Marathwada, a semi-arid region consisting of eight districts. In several parts of Marathwada, the south-west monsoon failed so badly that crops, including sorghum and bajra, did not grow sufficiently to produce enough stalks or residue for use as fodder.
(PTI News)
