Farmers sell cattle to sustain family

JHUTUNA (BHADRAK): With no option to eke out a living and feed his six-member family, Amulya Parida, a farmer in Jhutuna village under Bhandaripokhari block in the district, sold his bullock.Though he knew that in normal times the bullock would have fetched him ` 5,000, he was forced to dispose it of for  Rs. 2,800 as he badly needed the money. A portion of his house had collapsed and belongings washed away in the recent floods in the Baitarani. “I had one cow and a bullock. While the bullock has been sold, the cow meets the milk requirement of my children. With no work, it is getting difficult to sustain the family,” he said.This has become a trend among the flood-affected with similar reports pouring in from villages in Balipur, Babalpur, Debeswar, Madhuali, Solampur and Malada areas. Sources said more than hundred cattle heads have been sold in the region in the last few days.The villagers are also finding it difficult to arrange fodder for cattle as they are left with rotten grass and damaged paddy husk and hay. The hay too has become dearer, being sold four times its usual price.  “Earlier, 40 bundles of hay were priced between Rs. 15 and Rs. 20, now they are being sold for Rs. 100,” said Shankarshan Jena, a peasant.The cattle have become a liability for the farmers trying to pick up pieces of their lives after the devastating floods.  The flood victims alleged that though the Government had announced relief for seven days and extended it by another 10 days, they received relief materials for about three to five days. Cattle fodder was provided only once.The flood-hit said had the government supplied them fodder and relief materials in time, they would not have sold their cattle at a throwaway price.At a press conference on Thursday, District Congress Committee (DCC) president Badri Narayan Dhal demanded fodder, relief and polythene sheets for the flood victims of the district.While villagers are facing hardship, a government  official was recently caught red-handed with cattle fodder while on his way home. He has been transferred.