Drought stalks North Karnataka, farmers forced to sell their cows

Hubballi: With lakes drying up in drought-hit North Karnataka and fodder and drinking water hard to come by ,farmers here are  selling their cattle  at throwaway prices.

Middlemen are making a killing in the process,  visiting  the farmers in their homes to  buy cows, buffaloes and bulls and selling them for a higher price in  markets elsewhere.

Owners of slaughter houses too are making a beeline for  the biggest cattle market in Dharwad to cash in on the drastic fall in the price of livestock. Meanwhile, commission agents are earning in thousands while negotiating  deals between the farmers and buyers .

"I have sold two cows for half what they are worth because there is no fodder. It costs now Rs 6,000 for each load and there is little supply. Many poor farmers are also selling cattle that are diseased in the absence of proper medical treatment by the animal husbandry department," said  farmer Mahantesh Kallannavar of Mugad village in Dharwad taluk.

But animal husbandry department officials claimed the district had enough fodder and arrangements had been made to supply it to the farmers. "Dharwad district has 2.72 lakh cattle according to t he 2012 census.

We have opened fodder banks in five villages in the district and farmers are allowed to buy it at Rs 3 per kg. We have 40 tonnes of fodder and more will be supplied on the basis of requirement. It is responsibility of the Gram Panchayat to make arrangements for supply of drinking water for the cattle," said deputy director of the department,  Dr M S Palegar.