Chandrapur Collector asks for early fodder planning as drought-like conditions grip district

Drought-like conditions prevail in Chandrapur district, and comprehensive, effective planning is needed from now so that there is no shortage of fodder for animals later. Collector Vasumana Pant asked that the paddy straw left after harvest not be wasted and be used as much as possible as animal fodder. She said farmers should, wherever possible, have paddy harvested by labourers instead of harvester machines. She also directed all departments concerned to work in coordination on fodder production, promotion and storage.

She was speaking at a review meeting called on planning fodder production and management. Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Pulkit Singh, Resident Deputy Collector Dagdu Kumbhar, District Superintendent Agriculture Officer Shankar Totawar, Deputy Collector Sanjay Pawar, Deputy Commissioner of Animal Husbandry Dr Suresh Kumbhare, Soil and Water Conservation Officer Neelima Mandpe, Divisional Forest Officer Rajan Talmale and officials of other departments were present.

Pant said that when paddy is harvested by machine, a large quantity of straw is left in the field or cannot be fully used as fodder. When labourers harvest, the straw can be collected properly and used as animal feed. Farmers should therefore be shown the difference between the two methods through demonstrations in the field.

As a first trial, awareness programmes should be run in five selected villages. Officers and staff of the agriculture, animal husbandry, revenue, rural development and forest departments should then jointly guide farmers and livestock keepers in at least ten villages in each taluka.

She further said that chaff-cutter machines should be pushed so that existing fodder is not wasted. Under the Vidarbha-Marathwada dairy development project, as many farmers and livestock keepers as possible should be helped to get electric chaff-cutter machines.

To grow fodder with little water, the making of maize fodder by the hydroponic method should be promoted. The technique should be demonstrated to livestock keepers with limited water, and its benefits explained to them. The Collector also instructed that awareness about fodder production be spread among farmers through modern technology, training and audio-visual media.