Fodder production unit to cater to cattle soon
Project will prove beneficiary to over 1,500 farmers in the northern districts of the state.
By : vivek narayanan
Update: 2015-09-14 06:59 GMT
Chennai: To cater to the growing demand of fodder in the districts of Villupuram and Vellore, a first of its kind fodder production unit that is on the pipeline to supply cattle feeds at subsidised that will be made available to farmers in the next 20 days.
The scheme is estimated to produce 2,600 tonnes of green fodder per year per unit and an average of around 350-400 animals per year per unit will be benefited from the fodder produced.
According to the officials from the Animal Husbandry department, the project will prove beneficiary to over 1,500 farmers in the northern districts of the state. The 101-acre unit of fodder will be grown initially at Kilveedi village in Vellore district and Pandhadu and Nagalpakkam villages in Villupuram and if successful, the scheme will be soon adopted in Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Sivagangai districts, said S. Thabaindiran, Fodder Development Officer, Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences.
“At a time when cattle fodder demand is rising and prices rising, this move has not just proven to be financially feasible, but also provide help in increasing the yield and quality of milk. For the past one week, I have been receiving one and a half liter extra milk,” said T. Narayanan, a farmer at Kilveedu who bought 10 kg of fodder.
The pilot project for fodder production in the state is implemented at a total cost of Rs 6.94 crore in the two districts that is jointly contributed by the state animal husbandry department, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Tanuvas) and the Rural Development department on which a tripartite agreement was signed.
“The excess fodder produced will be used as buffer stock and made available during the drought periods,” said S. Vijayakumar, Secretary, Animal husbandry department. “Most of these lands were used for cattle grazing from the time Britishers, but were later encroached by private parties,” said Dr Abraham, director of Animal Husbandry department.
Also, there are thousands of acres in the state that are unused and we are in the process of identifying such lands and make it suitable for fodder production, he added. “There is a 25 per cent scarcity for fodder in the state, and with these units we are looking to make up the demand in the years to come. When the farmer is currently purchasing fodder at Rs 7 and Rs 8 from private units, the government has decided to give it for Rs 1.50,” said S. Thilagar, vice-chancellor, Tanuvas.