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90% farmers in Jaisalmer, Barmer not eligible for govt fodder subsidy

JAISALMER: A severe fodder crisis is threatening livestock in Jaisalmer and Barmer , with nearly 90% farmers ineligible for fodder provided by government agencies at subsidised rates.


To make matters worse, villages in at least eight districts of the state, including Jaisalmer and Barmer, are facing drought-like conditions and water scarcity.

Over the past two years, the two districts have seen scanty rainfall.

According to reports, a large number of cattle have died in these two districts and villagers have been forced to desert their livestock after putting ‘tilak’ on their head, leaving the animal to fend for itself.

While camps providing subsidised fodder have been open since April 1, rigid rules have kept nearly 90% of the farmers out of the ambit to avail the benefits.

“The government guidelines to provide fodder at subsidised rates will benefit only marginal and small farmers who have one to two hectares of land. But in Barmer, even a poor farmer has huge tracts of land which is barren but do not fall into these categories. Hence, they are deprived of benefits provided by fodder camps,” says Barmer district collector Himanshu Gupta.

The Barmer and Jaisalmer district administrations have approved around 600 fodder depots and many are already functioning. But on the ground, severe shortage continues, forcing farmers to buy fodder at high prices.

Government estimates suggest that there are around 13 lakh livestock in Barmer and 4 lakh in Jaisalmer.


300 fodder depots working

Jaisalmer: Pointing to a cow tied to his tractor, Hamir Singh, a villager at Gamnewala in Jaisalmer, says, “I found her in a pitiable condition roaming by the dunes and brought her here. I give her 3kg of fodder every morning and evening. But at Rs 10 a kg, I cannot sustain it for long. It is same with other villagers. Many of us are deserting our livestock.”

Says another villager Metha Khan, “Animal husbandry is the only way to make aliving in the desert. Every person here has about 20 to 50 cows. But with no rains for the past two years, there is hardly any fodder available. These cows are our children and it pains us to see them in this pathetic condition. While political parties are fighting against each other over protecting cows, no one seem to care about it here.”

Even cow shelters (gaushalas) have expressed their inability to accommodate abandoned cattle. “People are bringing their cattle here and requesting us to keep them, but I had to refuse as our capacity is limited. People are now leaving their cattle outside the gaushalas,” says Manav Vyas, owner of Tulsi Gaushala in Jaisalmer.

More than 2,700 villages in Barmer district, especially Gadra and Chanutan, are facing drought-like conditions. The Barmer district administration has approved 516 fodder depots of which only 300 have started functioning. Similarly in Jaisalmer, depots have been started in about 130 villages out of 800 villages reeling under the heat wave. In many places, fodder camps have been approved with a maximum limit of 200 cows. But with the average livestock holding quite high among villagers, it is a Catch 22 situation as to what to protect.

According to Jaisalmer collector Namit Mehta, “This year, the district administration has invited applications online to bring cattle to camps from villagers. Once they apply by giving the details of the number of animals and the shelter they have, their claims are checked by the tehsildar and forms processed. For all big animals, we pay Rs 70 per day and for small animals Rs 35 a day. This money has to be used for fodder which they have to procure on their own. We have also facilitated procurement by opening depots in about 40 gram panchayats that sell fodder at a subsidised rate. However, there are rules that are coming in the way of ensuring that the maximum people benefit from such camps. We have apprised the government about the situation and efforts are being made to take corrective steps.”

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