Cattle owners in Gaja-hit areas hard pressed for livelihood

“There is a severe shortage of green and dry fodder. We had lost several of our cattle due to the cyclone. It is now becoming difficult to maintain the remaining livestock. A few farmers in Nagapattinam have started selling their goats and some of them are now planning to sell their cows due to the cash crunch,” organic farmer Bala Subramaniyam of Kadinelvayal told DT Next.

According to S Ramadoss, Nagapattinam district secretary, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam, “Life has become very tough in the delta regions. The prices of all essential commodities and agricultural products have increased alarmingly.”

“There are farmers who have lost everything. The State Government should have released the compensation by now to enable the victims rebuild their lives,” he added.

Stating that the relief measures undertaken by the government does not match the extensive damage that Gaja had caused, A Kumaraguru, founder, Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Tiruchy said, “Agriculture and livestock rearing are the two major activities in the delta region. Local indigenous cattle, particularly Umbalachery which is endemic here, have been adversely affected.”

“Goats and cows endemic to Nagapattinam can sustain drought-like conditions but when there is a shortage of minimal feed to sustain them, it becomes difficult for farmers. The State should mobilise large scale distribution of fodder to farmers in Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur,” Kumaraguru added.

“At least ten families in my village have sold their cattle in the past one week. With all the green pastures drying up due to cyclone silts the situation is really bad,” said A B Muniya Kannu of Vanduvanchery in Vedaranyam block.

“Our village had about 7,000 cattle. 20 per cent of them died die to the cyclone, while another 20 per cent have been sold,” lamented Muniya Kannu, who is the village headman.

When contacted agriculture secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi said his department is attending to the issue. “Relief camps for public and medical camps for livestock are being conducted on a regular basis. Distribution of green and dry fodder has also picked up. We will address issues on a war footing,” he said.