Team Herald
PORVORIM: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Tuesday conceded in the Assembly that Goa Dairy is not providing quality fodder and feed for the cattle to the farmers.
The issue was raised by legislators that farmers were suffering due to lack of quality fodder and therefore the milk production has reduced.
Replying to the concerns of the legislators, Sawant said, “The Department is facing certain issues regarding fodder and feed. Goa Dairy is not providing quality feed and fodder. Quality fodder is not available and we are trying to provide better options.”
The chief Minister further said that cattle farming is owned and run exclusively by Goans. He said that there are 9377 dairy farmers in the State and they are all Goans; unlike in other business. “The farmers get 40 per cent direct subsidy apart from the milk price,” he said.
Responding to the issue of stray cattle raised by legislators, Sawant said that an estimated 10,000 cattle are left on the streets in the State leading to inconvenience and in some cases fatal accidents.
“I request all the legislators to support the locals in the stray cattle scheme so that there is at least one cattle shed in every constituency. Currently, there are only four beneficiaries under the stray cattle scheme,” he said.
Meanwhile, speaking on the issue of private forests, the chief minister said that the government would review the private forest report. “We are aware that with the help of aerial images, even large cashew plantations have been marked as forests and therefore we will review them,” he said.
He further informed the House that the government is also planning to create better amenities in the forest to attract the tourists to the forests. “We are planning to have cycling and motor treks near the Dudhsagar to attract the tourists to forests in Goa. We will develop other income generating activities and promote them,” he added.
