Study on collective livestock fodder marketing model in aroli village of Nagpur district of Maharashtra

Maharashtra has been struggling with droughts and water shortage since many years and this has resulted in shortage of both green and dry fodder. Marathawada and Vidarbha regions are characterised by frequent droughts, cracked soils, parched wells, dry hand pumps, low yielding livestock and accordingly, dairying is relegated to western parts of the state. As a relief measure, government supports dairying by organizing free fodder camps every year in rainfall deficit areas. Government is often forced to ban the sale of fodder outside the district where it is produced to cope up with fodder shortages, and also prohibited cattle herders from the neighboring states from grazing their animals in Maharashtra. In view of the above situation, any attempt by a group of farmers to produce and market the fodder crop certainly helps to rejuvenate the dairy sector in that region. One of such attempt has been made by the ‘Vishwas Farmers Group' established at Aroli village of Mauda tahsil of Nagpur district. This paper presents the details of working of same group. The fact that dairying could play a more constructive role in promoting rural welfare and reducing poverty is increasingly being recognized. Community fodder farms were reported in Kheda district of Gujarat but no such collective fodder marketing pattern is reported so far. This is a good example of the collective fodder and milk production and its marketing which can be replicated at suitable places. State Government department should disseminate the case study among farmers and should try to provide further necessary quality fodder seed material at subsidized rate to such groups.