Fodder rotting at 30 centres in Bidar

Over 67 tonnes of fodder stored in 30 fodder centres across the district is rotting as farmers have not bought it.

The near-zero demand for fodder follows the State government’s delay in announcing a subsidy.

MLAs have condemned the inaction of the government. Fodder damaged is national waste, they are saying. The zilla panchayat or the district administration should protect the fodder from rotting, said Bandeppa Kashempur, JD(S) leader and MLA.

‘Distribute’

“If the government cannot store it properly, it should distribute it to farmers for free.

“If they announce that fodder is available in the centres, the farmers will use their own transport and carry it home. That will save the fodder and the government’s money,” he said.

‘Don’t delay’

Fodder distribution should not be delayed or cancelled due to lame excuses like subsidy release, said Ishwar Khandre, Congress MLA. The zilla panchayat should not wait for the State government to announce subsidies.

“The district administration has already spent money on procuring fodder. Now they should not let that investment go waste. The zilla panchayat should distribute fodder for half the price to farmers now and claim the subsidy later,” he said.

Rain

Officials said that the fodder was stored in the open in most fodder centres and would start rotting in the rain.

“It has to be piled up in heaps and covered with plastics to be preserved. But as of now, we have no instruction from the State government in this regard,” a senior officer said.

Zilla panchayat president Baburao Shankarrao said he had instructed officials to find a way to store it well till the stock was sold out.

“We will also consult the State government on this issue,” he said.

Source:  http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article3545003.ece