The Ministry of Agriculture has designated National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) as the implementing agency for setting up 100 fodder-centric Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) during this fiscal to address the fodder deficit situation in the country, reported PTI. The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying 2020 had proposed the establishment of fodder-centric FPOs and had requested the Agriculture Ministry to allow such FPOs under the scheme Formation and Promotion of 10,000 new FPOs.
The Ministry of Agriculture issued an order on the same on November 4. According to the news agency, the order stated that the competent authority in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has approved to designate National Dairy Development Board as implementing agency under the scheme of Formation and Promotion of 10,000 new FPOs.
The statement also mentioned that NDDB will form and promote FPOs, primarily fodder-centric, and animal husbandry activities as a secondary activity (fodder plus model).
It also added that NDDB has been assigned to form 100 FPOs during the fiscal year 2022-23 within the contours of the scheme guidelines.
Last month, after a review meeting on the fodder crisis, a senior ministry official told the news agency that in a normal year, the country has a fodder deficit of 12-15 per cent, 25-26 per cent and 36 per cent when it comes to green fodder, dry fodder and concentrated fodder, respectively. The deficits are mainly due to seasonal and regional factors.
The official also shared that the current inflationary trend in fodder is due to a decline in wheat crops and a rise in input costs like diesel.
According to the stats given by PTI, the total area under fodder is limited to about 4.6 per cent of cropped area and this has remained static for the last forty years.
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