Wheat ripening, farmers find ways to keep off marauding herds

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Barnala/Mansa, February 28

With more than a100 trailers inter-connected to form a loop, it initially appears like a grain market. But a closer look reveals it’s a trap! With the wheat crop turning a glorious golden, stray cattle in villages has become a menace.

“Our wheat is ripe but a herd entering a field can destroys the crop in minutes,” says a farmer. Closer to the trap, none is allowed to utter a word, lest the cows are scared away. They are almost successful  when something provokes the bovines to flee. Hours of hard work are wasted. Accusations as to who made a noise fly thick and fast. 

The problem is widespread. In nearby Bhadaur, farmers have hired horsemen who charge Rs 200 per acre to keep the cattle off fields, says Jagtar Singh, a local resident. For the job, these horsemen use a stick with nails on it.  Some villages have opted to hire the services of tribesmen from Rajasthan, called ‘gau rakhe’ who charge money per acre and stay put in the fields till harvesting. 

Says Manjit Singh Dhaner, BKU (Dakaundha) leader: “There have been clashes between traders and farmers and among the farmers  themselves with one village fighting another. Usually, villagers gather stray cattle and abandon it on the periphery of another village, leading to a clash.”

He says a fortnight ago villagers from nearby Thikriwala gathered 100 cows, loaded them on  trucks and released them in Barnala’s main market. “This led to a clash and farmers were beaten up by angry traders,” he says. 

Similar clashes have occurred in Dhanuala, Bhikhi and Mansa in the past one month, says Gora Singh, a BKU leader from Mansa district. In January, there was a fight between villagers residing in the vicinity of Mansa town and those from Kot Dharmu village as the latter set free cattle outside the DC’s office. The police had to resort to a lathi charge to quell the warring sides.

The situation has worsened in the past two years, claims Dhaner. Owing to “gau rakshaks” , nobody wants to touch the cattle. “Earlier, the cows were taken away by traders from outside Punjab for Rs 7,000-Rs 8,000 each, now nobody is ready to do so even for free,” claims Navkiran Singh of the Naujwan Bharat Sabha in Patti, Barnala.

According tothe Punjab Gau Sewa Commission, an estimated 1.06 lakh cows are roaming on Punjab roads. Animal husbandry experts say each cow needs 35kg to 40kg of green fodder and 5 kg of wheat straw daily. This means the cattle require about 50,000 quintals of fodder daily.

“With the emergence of vigilante groups, the out-of-use cattle trade has come to a halt. This has affected Punjab’s rural economy, resulting in a new economic crisis,” says Ruldu Singh Mansa, president, Punjab Kisan Union. “The farmers, already in dire straits, are forced to spend huge amounts on protecting their crops from stray cattle,” he adds.

When contacted, Keemti Bhagat, Chairman, Punjab Gau Sewa Commission, said cattle ponds in each district would alone help solve the problem. “The ponds will be ready by next month,” he said.