Fodder crisis in Sunamganj
Severe shortage of fodder has turned into a crisis in the haor areas as the recent flash flood damaged almost all the Boro crops in the north-eastern part of the country, with the district being the worst hit.
The government has not provided fodder to help farmers feed their cattle, and the rotten straw and stubble are not fit for consumption by the cattle, said District Livestock Officer (DLO) of the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) Dr Md Belal Hossain.
Twelve-year-old Abdul Baten and his younger brother were cutting submerged stubble from Shanir Haor in Dakkhin Bardhal union under Tahirpur upazila and then drying them for fodder.
“We are having a hard time feeding our three cows as the fields are submerged, the straw has become rotten and the stubble is damaged,” Baten said.
In a recent visit to the haor areas of the district, this correspondent found that there are hardly any places to keep cows and scarcity of fodder has hit the district badly.
Anhar Uddin of Janigaon village in Laksmanshree union under Sadar upazila is keeping five cows in a small field near Dekhar Haor.
“During this time of the year, we used to have acres of open green land in the haor area to keep cows, but there is only a small field now. Moreover, cattle fodder was damaged due to the flash flood,” he lamented.
The flash flood that hit the district during the last week of March, 15 to 20 days before Boro harvesting time, damaged almost 100 percent of the crop, which also caused a severe scarcity of fodder.
According to the DLS, there are 9,91,650 cattle in the official record, though the number may be be much higher.
Days after the flash flood hit, thousands of farmers sold their cattle at very low prices to meet the fodder crisis, though they are now trying to keep the remaining cattle.
Jahir Uddin of Borodol village in Tahirpur upazila said, “I had five cows and sold two after the flash flood hit. Now I am trying to keep the rest.”
To meet the fodder crisis, the livestock services department in the district has already sent a demand order to the ministry of fisheries and livestock, seeking 3,08,760 tonnes of straw, grass and fodder, but they have not got any response yet.
DLO Belal Hossain said the farmers are feeding their cattle rotten straw, which is very unhealthy and might cause diarrhoea, but they can feed them dried straw and stubble.
“We are trying our best to stand by the farmers and are giving suggestions on what to do during this crisis,” he added.
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