Feb 12, 2021
Indian dairy farmers from several districts of Andhra Pradesh have requested the government officials to position quality checks while procuring milch cattle, declaring that cows and buffaloes that they had purchased in yester years were of very poor health and appearance.
Dairy farmers suspected irregularities and anomalies were taking place in the procurement of milch cows and buffaloes, and appealed together for measures to ensure procurement of high-yield cattle in order to save the dairy farmers as well as dairy sector.
The ex- Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in 2007 had launched the ‘Pasu Kranthi Scheme’ for the benefit of farmers, which the YSR Congress Party government relaunched as YSR Cheyuta (supply of milch animals) to women beneficiaries in the State.
The scheme promised milch cattle of CB Jersey, Murrah, Shahiwal, Gir and other varieties will be supplied by agencies from Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra to the farmers of Andhra Pradesh.
However, some organizations were purportedly forwarding ruminants of poor health and quality since last few years, causing huge losses to the beneficiaries. Some of the suppliers who were facing allegations of scams and irregularities had also filed tenders for the supply of animals and caused a huge loss, said the farmers.
“Each buffalo should give about eight liters of milk per day as per the guidelines issued by the government, but the animal is not giving even one liter and the veterinary doctors have also confirmed this. The government has ordered an inquiry into the scam in 2019, which is pending,” said a beneficiary B. Venkata Rao.
“We request the government and Animal Husbandry officials to take measures to keep out middlemen and allot tenders for genuine agencies for better implementation of the scheme,” said P. Ram Babu, a farmer from Jangareddygudem in West Godavari district said.