Himalayan News Service

Narayangadh, February 14:

Shortage of fodder in the Livestock Development Farm of the Institute of Agriculture and Veterinary central office in Rampur has affected milk production.

Established in 1968, the government handed over the farm to the Rampur Campus in 1978.

Stating that the farm was important for practical subjects, acting chief Sri Kant Kafle said the problem arose two years ago after the government slashed fodder budget that was being provided to the campus through Tribhuvan University.

Recently, the farm auctioned some animals to reduce pressure. Until two years ago, the farm had 210 buffaloes, 90 cows and 20 pigs, but now the number is 60, 50 and five respectively. The farm auctioned 11 buffaloes and 10 weak and barren cows last month.

The Chinese government had constructed a few concrete cattle sheds in 1995 but the empty sheds are increasing with reduction in budget.

Everyday the farm sells 30 litres of milk and 90 eggs, yielding Rs 30,000 a month — which is the only source of income according to Kafle. He said the farm also sells broiler chickens, sheep and goats.

Kafle said if they were allowed to invest the income in the farm, the situation would improve. “The TU’s failure to draft a clear policy about it is posing the problem.”

TU has stopped allocating budget for the farm except for staffers’ salary, Rampur Campus chief Shyam Sundar Jha said. He said 10 quintals of feed for cattle and five quintals for pigs were bought with the money borrowed from the Dean Office.

The Rampur farm is spread over 107 hectares of land and has fishery and animal sheds. The hay of the paddy planted in its 65 bighas of land is one of the sources of fodder for animals.

But plantation of maize and grass was stopped after its tractor went out of order three years ago.

Kafle said there are 48 employees in the farm to take care of animals and for administrative works.