Ajmer fodder hoarders rake in moolah as admn sleeps

Ajmer: With the summer season heading towards its peak, the fodder mafia seems to have become active.
In this month, the fodder price has gone up by Rs 200 because of hoarding by mafia. Ajmer Dairy chairman Ramchandra Choudhary said that at present, the quality of fodder is not good. It is coming from Kota region or from Madhya Pradesh. "The mafia has either encroached on the government land or taking the farm fields at every entry of the district on rent to hoard fodder and is selling it at high rates to livestock owners," said Choudhary.
He added that the mafia is forcefully purchasing fodder from the farmers."The hoarding can trigger a drought-like situation here," said Choudhary.
The dairy here has asked the state government to release the grain stocked in godowns of Food Corporation of India (FCI) which is not suitable for humans. "Last week, the chief minister had assured us to raise this issue with the Union agriculture minister during a meet in Jaipur," he said.
At present, drinking water situation is also not good but after a delegation of Ajmer Dairy met chief minister recently, things are improving. "A buffalo needs 10-litre water daily while a cow needs seven litres of water, so with ponds and wells going dry, things are becoming difficult in villages," said a farmer member of the dairy.
Sources said that farmers are abandoning their cattle in villages due to shortage of fodder and water. The dairy also decided to increase the rate of 'fat unit' to Rs 6 so that farmers can remain depended on cattle farming.
"We have also requested the chief minister to add milk in the mid-day meal at government schools so that the production demand at Saras Dairy increases, thereby helping farmers to earn more," said the chairman.
The dairy officials said they are hopeful that water and fodder crises would ease soon.