Jalna

With drought aggravating the shortage of cattle fodder in Marathwada, BJP MLA Babanrao Lonikar has urged the Maharashtra government to directly procure sugarcane grown in the region and divert it for cattle feed instead of sending it to sugar factories for crushing.

Lonikar, in a letter to Revenue Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule, who is also the chairman of the state cabinet sub-committee on drought mitigation, said the move could provide immediate relief to farmers struggling to feed their livestock amid the prevailing water and fodder crisis.

He also demanded fodder camps, eight to 10 hours of uninterrupted daytime power supply for agricultural operations, and sought permission for controlled use of water from dams exclusively for fodder cultivation, while maintaining priority for drinking water requirements.

The Maharashtra government has declared drought in 265 of its 358 talukas, or 74 per cent of the state, amid rainfall deficit and announced relief measures.

Lonikar proposed that around 3,000 hectares of silt-deposited land around the Lower Dudhna project in the Partur-Mantha constituency be brought under fodder cultivation, and said similar land around other irrigation projects could also be used to produce fodder on a large scale.

He further demanded free distribution of fast-growing fodder seeds such as maize and sorghum through the Agriculture Department, pointing out that such crops can grow up to 10-12 feet within three months or less with limited water.

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Lonikar urged Bawankule to issue immediate directions to the administration to address the shortage of water and fodder affecting farmers and livestock in Jalna district and Marathwada.