About two decades back, of the three major abattoirs existing in India, two were in Telangana State. The cattle sold in the region were slaughtered and the beef was locally consumed or exported to the middle-east countries. As a result, the cattle numbers in the state of Andhra Pradesh reduced and they are one of the cause. The small and marginal farmers dependent on the cattle for farming were suffering due to a reduction in cattle numbers and they could not afford to use the technologies. Therefore a study was proposed by Mr Dharamraj Ranka under the leadership of Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy. Mr. Dharamraj Ranka was running many Goshalas (the cow shelters) in Hyderabad City. Including myself, a team of 6 people was constituted. We in sub-teams visited several villages, cattle markets and interviewed people to assess the situation. Travelled extensively in parts of the State. I have taken photographs of the cattle at great risk, as they were illegally being transported to the abattoirs. The brokers in some places intervened and did not allow us to do the study.
During the study, we went to a village called Chautkur near Jogipet, Medak district, Telangana. While having discussions with the villagers, requested them to offer a cup of tea. Someone went and searched the whole village but could not get a glass of milk. This is due to declining cattle, commercialisation of milk production and selling all the milk to urban areas. Therefore they could not provide a cup of tea. We made a statement ‘Chautkur pote chai dorkaledu’ i.e., Couldn’t get a cup of tea in Chautkur village when visited. This is the fate of villages where farmers consume less and sell almost everything. In contrast, Governments permit to sell liquor and it is available all the time in almost every village.
About 40 to 50 years back in the villages milk was plenty. Farmers considered that a calf has the right to drink its mother’s milk. Therefore very less milk was taken from cows and still, there was always milk and curd in many homes. People selling milk was never a priority. The other byproducts of milk such as butter, curd and ghee were always available. During my visit to the villages in my childhood, I had the opportunity to have all the products of milk. With the development of commercial diaries, the farmers are considering milk as a source for earning money by selling it. Therefore milk is available more in the cities when compared to the villages where it is produced.
Based on the information collected, we have prepared a report titled ‘Game of Numbers’ - with details on the situation of cattle. Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the supreme court of India with all the data and analysis on cattle depletion, to stop the abattoirs and illegal slaughtering of the cattle. This issue was critical to address the needs of small and marginal farmers. The supreme court could stop the abattoirs.
The stubble management in the villages has become a serious issue as the farmers are burning it as the domestic animal’s population reduced.
Without domestic animals, a village looses its identity