Given the emphasis on development and self reliance in milk production, the State Government appears to have woken up to the need for rapidly stepping up production of green fodder.
Drawing attention to the decline in the area under fodder production, the Economic Review 2021, prepared by the Kerala State Planning Board and tabled in the State Assembly last week, noted that domestic cultivation meets just 46% of the fodder requirement.
The document indicated that the State has less than 2,500 hectares under fodder cultivation. Large-scale commercial production will have to be ensured to meet the demand in the next decade. Suitable Contract Farming models also should be explored, it said. Kerala urgently needs a fodder and feed plan for its livestock sector. About 15,000 acres of land has to be identified to cultivate fodder in the State over the next two years and domestic capacity of production needs to be expanded, the Economic Review noted.