Gujarat: Cows to raise funds for their own welfare

GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government is literally banking on cow dung to raise funds for cow welfare and prevent their slaughter.
Prodded by 'jeev-daya' followers, the government is set to start cow dung and cow urine banks in panjrapols across the state to help generate revenue towards caring for lakhs of abandoned cattle that find their way to cow-shleters and prevent them from being sold to slaughter houses.
"The government intends to set up gau mutra and gobar banks in panjrapols to capitalize on growing demand for organic fertilizers and natural pesticides," said senior minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, who holds the charge of cow conservation.
"The government will facilitate collection of gobar and gau mutra from banks in various panjarapols and sell them as organic fertilizer on a mass scale. These will also be provided as raw material to companies manufacturing organic manure, natural pesticides and ayurvedic products," said Chudasama.
"A systematic model will be developed where gobar and gau mutra will be collected, packaged and distributed. We will involve farmer cooperatives," the minister added.
The bank project has gained traction especially as Gujarat reels under poor monsoon and resultant scarcity. Cattle is worst hit due to scarcity of fodder. In fact, the government recently decided to give monetary assistance of Rs 25 per day to 2.30 lakh cattle in 412 panjrapols in 51 talukas in 11 districts where scarcity has been declared.
More cattle being abandoned
Even as the government has announced the setting up of cattle camps giving a relief of Rs 25 per animal, state is witnessing rising desertion of cattle, especially those who have stopped giving milk, by owners who can ill-afford fodder buying fodder at premium rates in scarcity-hit times.
Panjrapol owners say more and more cattle is being deserted. "We have seen cattle in our panjrapol rise from 9,000 to 11,000 in past two months alone. Prices of dry fodder has gone up from Rs 200 per 40 kg to Rs 500. Farmers find it difficult to feed their animals," said Ramesh Doshi of Kutch Adesar Jivdaya Panjrapol Trust.
Rajendra Kothari of Jivdaya Mandal Panjrapol, Rapar said that if government starts gau mutra and gobar banks and buys from them at nominal amount, it will go a long way in helping them financially.
"The bank model however has to be linked with market because we had started selling cow urine and dung as natural fertilizer but could not find buyers locally," said Kothari.