Anil, a qualified lawyer and a farmer is among the several farmers from the Marathwada region who have started feeling the pinch of the ban on slaughter of bulls and bullocks. Mr Anil possesses 22 acres of land and eight animals, but as consecutive droughts for four years, water scarcity and hailstorms have destroyed his farms, and now his cattle have become a burden.
Expressing his helplessness, Anil said more to our problem, the govt has ban beef and is not in the favor of farmers. The ban on bull slaughter has reduced the market price of old as well as good animals. Feeding unfit bulls is problematic for farmers. We have been left with no options, but to drop our animals in Mumbai or some remote place,” Mr Anil said.
The government had promised to open cattle shelters for aged animals. However, these shelters are nowhere to be seen, farmers said. “Buying and selling animals is part of the rural economy. If a farmer needs money immediately, he sells animals. Now things have come to such an extent that no one is willing to buy cows and bulls after govt decision to ban on it and also affected the prices of good animals.
The scarcity of fodder and water is only making things worse for farmers. There are over 49 lakh animals in Marathwada region, and they need 7.97 lakh metric tonnes of fodder every month. Shetkari Sanghatana leader Ravikant Tupkar said that the organisation is going to protest against the ban on beef shortly.
A pair of bullocks used to cost Rs 1 lakh, which has declined to Rs 50,000, as the beasts do not have any resale value. Farmers have to spend Rs 500 per day for animals fit or unfit for work,” said Shankaranna Dhondge, an NCP MLA from Marathwada’s Loha constituency.