Livestock Farmers Hit by Rains as Price of Dry Fodder Mounts

Unseasonal rains have taken a toll on the pockets of livestock farmers resulting in a rise in the prices of dry fodder which is being sold at Rs 550-Rs 800 per quintal.

Farmers say due to the untimely rain, they have observed a drastic slash in the production of wheat husk, resulting in its shortage.

Generally, every acre of harvested and thrashed wheat provides approximately 20 quintals of wheat husk, but now they are getting 12 to 15 quintals per acre of wheat husk due to the lodging of the crops.

Shamsher Singh, a farmer said that unseasonal rains have lodged my wheat crops which has not only impacted the quality of husk but has also led to diminished production. Last year, I got around 18 quintals of husk per acre, but this year it is around 12 quintals. The quality of the fodder is also not good.

Several gaushalas were facing challenges due to the shortage of dry fodder. One of the employees at Gaushala also reported that last year, they arranged dry fodder at Rs 400 per quintal but this year because of the lesser production of wheat husk, there is a shortage of dry fodder. He also inquired about the rates which are Rs 700 per quintal.

The Fresh spell of rain which lashed the region for the past three days, has also created hurdles for farmers in making dry fodder.

Rajinder Kumar, a farmer said, “After the wheat crop harvesting, I could not make dry fodder from wheat straw because of the rains at regular intervals. On Sunday, I had planned to make dry fodder but, the rain paused me from doing so.”

Agriculture experts forecasted the rate could rise in the upcoming days. An official of the Agriculture Department also said that due to the lesser production and higher demand, the rates of dry fodder could rise.