How growing fodder is helping some farmers in Maharashtra?

Farmers of Balawadi village in Maharashtra’s Sangli district are actively attempting to improve their money by experimenting in fodder cultivation, even as the Centre has released various strategies to double farmers’ money by 2022,

“The National Fee on Farmers has insisted that there is a will need for several sources of money to increase farmers’ money. For past a lot of decades we have been operating on fodder farming model in drought-vulnerable regions of Sangli district and the experiment is gaining momentum,” stated farmer activist Sampatrao Pawar.

This yr farmers in Balawadi have planted maize on ten acres of land as a initial phase to develop a fodder lender. They will be cultivating fodder in above twenty five hectares to cater to the will need of farmers in Khanapur taluka (block).

Pawar states that the past experiments have yielded excellent success. Over the past 5 decades, fodder cultivation has yielded excellent returns for farmers. Farmers right here say that cultivating fodder is considerably less highly-priced compared to sugarcane and greens as it calls for reduce amount of drinking water, pesticides and fertilisers. Sangli district in South Maharashtra is one of the foremost districts in the dairy sector and quality fodder is constantly in demand from customers throughout the yr.

In 2019, Balawadi villagers cultivated fodder and developed fodder lender for needy farmers. Ashok Jadhav, a farmer, states that govt starts fodder camps for the duration of droughts where farmers can get their cattle but these camps have a unfavorable effect on the overall health of cattle and milk generation. “The quality of fodder furnished at these camps is not up to the mark. Several fodder camps are run by neighborhood politicians who feed sugarcane to the cattle to generate gain from the grant furnished by the govt to run fodder camps. Farmers ought to get care of their cattle by creating fodder banking companies,” he stated.

Sandesh Pawar of Ugam Foundation, which is operating with farmers, stated that the govt ought to correct minimum assist cost for fodder and procure it. It can then give it to the cattle at the fodder camps. “Also, the govt ought to persuade farmers to develop fodder by providing concessions and grants. Excessive sugarcane cultivation has wrecked the fertility of the land in a lot of elements of Maharashtra and we have proved that fodder could be a excellent possibility to make improvements to the soil fertility and raise the farmers’ money,” he stated.

The National Fee on Farmers, in its report, states that there is a will need for increased investigation and enhancement attempts in the regions of eco-friendly fodder and feed generation. “Fodder and feed banking companies can be established to assist landless labour family members, a large proportion of whom are Dalits, to get to stall-fed animal husbandry and yard poultry farming. Market place tie-up will be necessary to ensure truthful return and avoid threats. Micro-finance should really be supported with correct backup services, so that it results in being Livelihood Finance,” the Fee stated.

The Fee advised placing up of a Livestock Feed Corporation of India to give assist to neighborhood amount SHGs engaged in the generation of fodder and feed and in organising ‘Fodder and Feed Banks’ and bolster applied investigation in distinct agro-ecological areas so that livestock owners can implement proper feeding regimes working with domestically accessible feedstuffs and roughages.