Gomalas to be revived to give fodder to dairy farming

Gomalas, which were once traditional pastures in villages, will now get a new lease of life with the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department planning to reclaim and redevelop close to 60,000 acres of such tracts across 5,962 gram panchayats to ensure fodder security to dairy farmers.

Traditionally, every village had a gomala where cattle grazed, sparing the farmers of fodder expenses. Over time, with lack of maintenance, most of them fell into disuse. While a few of them have remained wastelands, many have been encroached upon.

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“Fodder and their transportation add to dairy farmers’ financial burden. As part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), we have funds to provide livelihood support and create rural assets. Gomalas provide a long-term, sustainable, and local solution to fodder security and hence the project was designed,” said Shilpa Nag, Commissioner, Rural Development (MGNREGS).

The increasing gap between demand and production of fodder and the consequent price rise have had a ripple effect on dairy farming. The increase in milk production costs has resulted in a reduction in the number of dairy farmers and as a result, there has been a substantial reduction in milk production.

“Farmers have to spend at least Rs 3 a kg on fodder and each cow needs at least 25 kg of fodder a day. That apart, there are expenses on cattle feed and medicines. Owing to increasing costs, many farmers have moved away from cattle rearing in the last five years, affecting milk production in the state,” said Narasimha Murthy, president of Bangalore Milk Union Ltd (BAMUL).

Why revive gomalas?

The revival of gomalas could reduce the financial burden on landless dairy farmers and make the business profitable. “Unlike farmers with their own land who can grow their fodder, smaller farmers depend on only cattle rearing. Many now sell cattle and have taken other jobs to meet household and other expenses. If gomalas are revived, it will encourage farmers to continue cattle rearing,” said Srinivas Gowda, procurement manager at the Kolar Milk Union.

However, sources said reclaiming gomalas might not be easy since large portions are encroached upon. “Removing encroachments will be a challenge since farmers have encroached upon them to cultivate crops. There might be stiff opposition. That apart, land has also been encroached upon by many private players with strong political clout,” one of the sources said.

The RDPR has asked every gram panchayat to draw out an action plan and in the first phase, 16,850 acres of land across 2,163 gram panchayats have been identified.