AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

LIVE-STOCK

Cattle still retains its importance in the agrarian economy of the district. The agricultural operations like ploughing, harrowing, sowing, transporting of agricultural produce, etc, are carried out with the help of bullocks. Cows and she.buffaloes are reared for purposes of breeding and milk production. The district is very famous for its indigenous breed of cattle known as khilar. The cattle markets which are held at the time of the annual fair of Shri Siddheshwar at Kharsundi, Kargani and Jath are famous for the khilar breed. The cattle breed in the district, however, lacks in milking quality. Attempts are being made at governmental level to improve the quality of live.stock in the district under various schemes. The working of the schemes and the position of the live.stock is described in the following page.

Animal Husbandry.

The veterinary aid aims at the treatment of ailing animals and control of epizootic and parasitic diseases as well as various other problems pertaining to animal health. It also includes the programme of cattle development such as castration and general propaganda about breeding, feeding and management of animals. In all there an ten veterinary dispensaries and twenty.four veterinary aid centres. In addition to these five veterinary aid centres are proposed to be started in the district.

In addition to these efforts to enrich the live.stock of the district, Government has started one Khilar Cattle Breeding Farm and one Kev Village Centre at Jath. It has also started an Intensive Cattle Development Scheme under Crash Programme. Under this scheme cows, bulls and he.buffaloes are located in the milk collet ting areas of Walwa, Tasgaon and Miraj talukas. Almost every village from these talukas is covered under this scheme.

The pure breeding of cattle is encouraged through pure breed bulls and cows supplied to cultivators, by up.grading the local non-descript cattle by supplying superior type of pure breed bulls and through artificial insemination. Details of the other schemes for the all-round development of cattle such as silo-pits, fodder development and goshala development falling under the programme arc as under.

Supplementary Cattle Breeding Scheme.

The scheme is sanctioned for a group of five adjoining villages. Under this scheme five pure breed bulls and fifty cows are located in the area. The cultivator is given a subsidy of Rs. 350 per bull and Rs. 200 per cow for purchase and Rs. 30 per month for maintenance. The activities undertaken for cattle improvement include castration of scrub bulls, registration of pure breed stock, recording yield of milk, etc. The pure breed progeny is earmarked. for further distribution. The cattle shows and rallies are also organised with a view to encouraging breeding of superior type of cattle by way of holding health competitions and awarding prizes to the best animals in the show. There are nine supplementary cattle breeding centres at the following places (1) Nimani (Tasgaon taluka), (2) Vita, (3) Kadegaon, (4) Atpadi, (5) Khanapur, (6) Chinchani, (7) Hat. nur, (8) Alsund and (9) Savalaj.

District Premium Bull Scheme.

The object of the scheme is to encourage the people to improve their cattle by taking the services of the premium bulls. The breeding bulls are supplied to the cultivators under the following schemes. Under half cost scheme a farmer is supplied a breeding bull and subsidised maximum Rs. 500 or half of the actual cost of the bull, whichever is less. No maintenance charges are paid. The farmer has to maintain the bull in good breeding condition for a period of three years. It is to be utilised by the villagers to improve their cattle. Under the district premium bull maintenance scheme, the farmer has to purchase the breeding bull at his own cost with the approval of the Department of Animal Husbandry. A maintenance charge of Rs. 30 per month is paid for a period of three years from the date of purchase or from the date of maintaining the bull. It is to be utilised by the villagers to improve their cattle. The present strength of such bulls in the district is 63 bulls on maintenance charges scheme and 46 hulls on half cost scheme.

Under the scheme for premium bull centre two premium bulls at full Government cost are kept at Bilashi. Their use is given free to improve the cattle breed in rural areas. One stockman and one attendant are employed to look after the bulls.

Artificial Insemination Center.

There are at present four artificial insemination sub-centes at Miraj, Tasgaon, Vita and Sangli. The total number of artificial inseminations at each centre up to 31st March 1963 is given below: —

Construction of Silo-pits.

The object of the scheme is to preserve the surplus fodder grown in succulent state without loss to its nutritious value for using it during summer season when there is scarcity of green fodder. A subsidy of Rs. 400 is given to the cultivator to construct silo.pit and to fill it regularly. At present there are ten silo.pits at the following places: —

Scheme for Development of Goshalas and Panjarpols Sheep Development.

The scheme, sponsored by the All India Gosamvardhan Federation, aims to mobilise the resources of the institutions and convert them into potential cattle breeding centres. The only goshala i.e. Shri Panjarpol Sanstha, Sangli, in the district is subsidised under the scheme. A subsidy of Rs. 2,000 was sanctioned for the year 1962-63. Prior to this a token grant of Rs. 100 per annum was given.

The scheme aims to improve the local breed of sheep as well as the quality and quantity of wool by supplying pure.bred rams to the shepherds. Under this scheme two sheep and wool extension centres have been started since 1960 at Zare and Jath and improved rams are being supplied to the shepherds from villages coming under these centres. Loans to 50 shepherds, at the rate of Rs. 100 per shepherd, were granted during the year 1963-64 to purchase improved varieties of sheep.

In order to give incentive to shepherds, the Zilla Parishad, Sangli has started a scheme of supplying pure.bred rams, under half cost subsidy. During the last two years 60 rams have been supplied under the scheme. The Government under Crash Programme have, sanctioned eight supplementary sheep breeding centres in the sheep breeding areas of the district. Under this scheme 10 ewes and one ram are supplied free of cost to cultivators. During the years 1964.65 and 1965.66, 500 sheep were supplied to cultivators.

Products

TABLE No. 29.

STATEMENT SHOWING THE PRICES OF LIVE-STOCK PRODUCTS IN SANGLI DISTRICT, 1963-64.

TABLE No. 29—contd.

Prices

TABLE No. 30.

THE PRICES OF LIVE-STOCK PREVAILING IN SANGLI DISTRICT, 1963-64.

Weekly Markets.

TABLE No. 31

STATEMENT SHOWING THE PROMINENT WEEKLY OR PERIODICAL CATTLE MARKETS IN SANGLI DISTRICT

TABLE No. 32.

TALUKA-WISE DISTRIBUTION OF LIVE-STOCK IN SANGLI DISTRICT, 1961.

TABLE No. 32—contd.

Poultry Development.

Poultry keeping, particularly in the rural areas well connected with markets, provides a source of subsidiary income to cultivators and agricultural labourers. The poultry schemes propagated by the extension officers for Animal Husbandry, stockmen and the gramsevaks are now well received by the people. Courses of short duration of about a week or so are organised to impart training in poultry-keeping. A provision is also made in the budgets of the Panchayat Samiti and of the Animal Husbandry department to give financial assistance in the form of loans and subsidies to the needy persons for the purchase of eggs, improved cocks, breeding equipment and for the improvement of poultry houses. So far loans to twenty persons amounting to Rs. 750 each have been sanctioned from the departmental funds to start private poultry farms. Besides, subsidy is also given to the deserving poultry breeders. Generally the loans are sanctioned to those who have completed three months course in poultry. keeping.

The Poultry Breeding Centre of Zilla Parishad, Sangli, with a capital outlay of Rs. 63,630 functions at Bhilawadi.

A scheme estimated to cost of Rs. 49,000 to establish a poultry demonstration centre at Jath is under way.

The scheme for collection and marketing of eggs sanctioned by the Government has started functioning in the district with two sub.centres at Vita and Dhalgaon from February 1963. The eggs collected from the village poultry breeders on cash payment are despatched to Bombay via Poona.

The Government has sanctioned one scheme according to which a person having 50 birds can get Rs. 1,000 as loan and Rs. 250 as subsidy, while one who is having 100 birds can get Rs. 5,000 as loan. Under this scheme till now Rs. 1,75,000 have been disbursed as loans to 115 persons.

The construction work of District Poultry Breeding Centre at Miraj is nearly completed and the actual working of the centre will start soon.

The intensive poultry breeding block is started in the pilot integrated area development scheme at Tasgaon. The working of the same has already been started. The Zilla Parishad, Sangli, has supplied nearly 10,000 chicks under half cost scheme through its own funds.

Dairy Development.

Milk production and cattle rearing are subsidiary occupations of the agriculturists of the district. Surplus milk and milk products are sent to Poona and Bombay. About 15 maunds of cream, 140 maunds of butter and ghee and 16 maunds of khawa are exported daily. As per 1961 cattle census the district had 101,399 buffaloes and 111,111 cows. Pandharpuri and deshi buffaloes are the most common breeds in this tract. Cow breeds are krishna valley and khilar.

A survey of the district was conducted in 1957 by the then Dairy Development section of the Agriculture department. According to that survey, the krishna valley area, along the hanks of the river Krishna comprising Sangli and Kolhapur districts, was the proper place where milch cattle could very well be nursed, and milk and milk.products could profitably be sold provided the whole area was brought under the fold of dairy co.operative societies and milk federation linked with marketing facilities. The survey revealed the existence of many private dairies run in the towns like Miraj and Bhilwadi for exporting milk and milk.products. The survey also pointed out that had a Milk project been established at Miraj, it would have been possible to collect about 2,000 maunds of milk daily and a large quantity of it could have been sent to Poona from Miraj after meeting the local demand and from Poona the milk after being pasteurised could further be transported to Bombay. It was, therefore, decided by the Dairy Development department to implement the Miraj Milk Scheme in two stages, viz.

(1) to launch a pilot scheme to handle 100 maunds of milk and,

(2) to take up the main scheme after the required buildings were constructed and well equipped with all the necessary scientific apparatus.

Accordingly, the Krishna Valley Milk Project, phase I, was started on 25th March 1961. The scheme handles 4,500 litres (120 maunds) of milk per day. The collection of milk is done by the Dairy Co.operative Societies.

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