Shortage of bullocks hampers tilling
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
Another report from Rangpur adds:
The tilling of the lands in all the eight upazilas of Rangpur district is being hampered due to acute shortage of cattle heads.
Owing to exorbitant price, high rearing cost, price hike of fodder, abject poverty about 70 per cent cultivators of the district have no bullocks for tilling their lands, sources said.
Many farmers are now tilling their land on share basis and sometimes they hire bullocks from landlords as they are unable to purchase animal due to high prices.
At present a pair of bullocks sells between Tk. 56,000 to 70,000. In some cases the farmers are forced to use their milch cows to carry on agricultural work which eventually leads to the reduction of milk collected from cows.
Moreover, cattle diseases like Khura, blackquarters cause death of domestic animals every year.
As medicines and veterinarians for curing diseases of the cattle are not available in remote areas, the poor farmers have to buy necessary medicine from the black market at exorbitant prices. Slaughtering of cows has also reduced the number of cows.
Besides, most of the grazing fields of the district have turned into cultivable lands and residential areas as a result the feeding of the cattle is being hindered. Prices of all kinds of fodder have registered a sharp rise.
Moreover, every year many poor farmers are compelled to sell their cattle to mitigate their hardship which also causes the reduction of cattle, sources added
The tilling of the lands in all the eight upazilas of Rangpur district is being hampered due to acute shortage of cattle heads.
Owing to exorbitant price, high rearing cost, price hike of fodder, abject poverty about 70 per cent cultivators of the district have no bullocks for tilling their lands, sources said.
Many farmers are now tilling their land on share basis and sometimes they hire bullocks from landlords as they are unable to purchase animal due to high prices.
At present a pair of bullocks sells between Tk. 56,000 to 70,000. In some cases the farmers are forced to use their milch cows to carry on agricultural work which eventually leads to the reduction of milk collected from cows.
Moreover, cattle diseases like Khura, blackquarters cause death of domestic animals every year.
As medicines and veterinarians for curing diseases of the cattle are not available in remote areas, the poor farmers have to buy necessary medicine from the black market at exorbitant prices. Slaughtering of cows has also reduced the number of cows.
Besides, most of the grazing fields of the district have turned into cultivable lands and residential areas as a result the feeding of the cattle is being hindered. Prices of all kinds of fodder have registered a sharp rise.
Moreover, every year many poor farmers are compelled to sell their cattle to mitigate their hardship which also causes the reduction of cattle, sources added