In a bid to arrest livestock migration from the Kutch district and ensure fodder security, the Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GUIDE) in association with the state forest department has taken up a project to develop Banni grasslands in the region.
“We aim to develop 4,000 hectares of land in Banni as fodder security zone by 2013, as part of a Rs 664-lakh joint project with the Gujarat government,” Officiating Director GUIDE, Dr Vijay Kumar said.
“The move will help in arresting livestock migration from this desert district, which occurs due to fodder scarcity here,” Kumar said, adding the grass of Banni is three times more nutritive than other grasses.
The livestock population in Kutch region is pegged close to 17 lakh, of which nine lakh are cattle. Each cattle on an average requires a minimum of seven kg green fodder per day.
The main area under grassland in Kutch region is close to 5,078 sq kilometres, of which 2,617 sq kilometres falls under Banni, which is the largest stretch of land available in the region as all else is largely arid and semi-arid land.
“Average production of grass in the grassland region is close to 2,000 kgs per hectare, of which just 650 kg is deemed fit as fodder feed which is only 35 per cent, and remaining 65 per cent is weed,” Kumar said.
Also there are issues related to salinity ingress of soil in the region for growing nutritive grass.
