Following in the footsteps of aquaculture farmers of coastal Andhra Pradesh who feed their shrimp with fair doses of the famous Hyderabadi biryani, few dairy farmers in the Jinnaram mandal of Medak district are feeding their milch animals with the spicy dish.

Farmers unload truck loads of left over biryani from hotels in the neighbouring city on a large scale during the early hours. The biryani is then mixed with bran and husk, making it a yummy concoction for the buffaloes. “The animals initially refused to eat the biryani but slowly got used to the meaty flavour. Buffaloes which feed on the biryani are yielding 4 litres more than the average,” said Yadagiri, a farmer from Jinnaram.

The farmers took the biryani route as it is cheaper than fodder which has become very expensive and scarce in the Telangana region, particularly during the summer season.

“We have complained about shortage of fodder to the district agriculture department but they never helped us,” said another farmer who feeds his cattle with left over biryani. The animal husbandry department is not amused about the biryani eating buffaloes of Jinnaram. “It is not advisable to feed milk giving animals with chicken and mutton laced with heavy dose of spices,” a government veterinarian in Narsapur said.

The doctor says that though the farmers will gain from increased milk production, the yield is bound to reduce. “The biryani will also affect the calf bearing capacity of the buffaloes, thereby affecting the cattle population in the region,” the doctor added.

But the farmers are in no mood to revert to fodder despite veterinarians’ advice. “The animals love it and now there are kind of addicted to the biryani. Buffaloes are not touching the feed if there is no biryani flavour to it,” Ramesh Goud of Bollaram said.