Distress sale of cattle, particularly bullocks, due to the unprecedented drought threatens to hit agriculture and agro-economy in the district. There have been widespread reports of sale of cattle to butchers in Aland and Afzalpur taluks.
The farmers - unable to take care of the cattle due to severe scarcity of fodder and water - have been left with no alternative than to resort to the extreme step which was rampant in the district during the infamous famine of 1972. The dalals (middlemen) of butchers are in the villages to convince poor and gullible farmers to sell their cattle at throwaway prices.
“These are the initial days of acute drought and the cattle may fetch some respectable price. But as the days pass by, the cattle may go for a song to the butchers,” said Ningappa, a farmer from Kadaganchi, which boasts of housing the prestigious Central University of Karnataka.
According to Mallinath Kolur of Melkunda, over 20 bullocks were sold in his village in the last one month. Mallinath himself owns about 40 livestock, including two bullocks. But he is committed to look after them as long as possible.
“I will be the last person to dispose of the animals. I have been taking the middlemen of butchers visiting our village to task and I have also been persuading farmers not to sell cows and bullocks. But who will listen to me?’’ says Mallinath.
Shivalingappa Talwar of Neelur said, “I had bought a bullock at the Gobbur fair last year for Rs 30,000, but about a week ago, I sold it for Rs 20,000. If someone opens goshalas I am ready to leave my other bullocks there.’’
However, the goshalas promised by the administration are nowhere to be seen. Babanna of Gobbur had bought a bullock for Rs 85,000 only six months ago, but today he is forced to sell it for Rs 40,000. There has been an instance of a special-breed bullock bought for Rs 1.1 lakh a couple of years ago selling for just Rs 30,000.
Lad Chincholi, Kadaganchi, Dhuttargaon, Dharmwadi, Rudrwadi are the other villages where this reporter came across extensive distress sale of bullocks and cows. Farmers usually do not sell their animals directly to a butcher. It is the middlemen of the butchers who strike deals. Thayappa had taken his bullock to a shandy for sale and there, a butcher’s middlemen came in the guise of genuine buyers. From the Gobbur shandy, farmers said, five to six van loads of cattle were transported to slaughter houses.
According to officials of the agriculture and animal husbandry departments, the distress sale of bullocks in particular, will have a disastrous consequence on agriculture as farmers will not be in a position to buy one in future.
“Bullocks are the nucleus of agro- economy. A pair of bullocks can plough 25 to 30 acres of land. Going by the distress sale, agriculture lands in the twin taluks may turn barren,” said an agriculture officer. Bullock carts, the main mode of rural transport, will also come to a halt, Jayappa said.