Drought taking heavy 'toll' on cattle in Bijapur

While Bijapur was busy playing host to the 79th Akhila Bharat Kannada Sahitya Sammelana on Monday, local farmers went about their day selling off their cattle, as a result of severe draughts  in the region. They remained optimistic of rains in the upcoming khariff season.

When asked about `Goshalas’ (cattle grazing centres) opened by the government, most farmers were unaware about the same.

Shankrappa Sarabadgi, a farmer from Musalgi village, retorted, “What to do with Goshalas, when we don’t have food or money for daily needs?” He reasoned that by selling their cattle, farmers could run their homes for at least 3 months off the income.

According to local Agro trader, Ashok Budihal, cattle fairs are a regular fixture for the region, “However, cattle sales have increased over the past 2-3 months,” he said, adding that though there has been an increase in the number of cattle being sold, the price of cattle has dropped.

Citing the example of the Devar Hippargi cattle fair, Budihal said, “Usually 500 cattle are bought and sold in normal season, now this number has gone up to about 3,000.”

When DNA tried to approach Agriculture officials of Sindagi taluk, they were unavailable for comment.