Cold, fog hits cattle rearing

Cattle rearing has become hugely difficult for the farmers in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram due to the bone-chilling cold that has been prevailing over the region for the last couple of weeks.

The ongoing cold wave has been forcing the farmers to keep their cows, goats and buffalos inside the cattle sheds and a result most of the livestock are suffering from malnutrition due to severe fodder crisis.

Many farmers said at present they are fully dependent on fodder purchased from the markets as they cannot take their cattle to the fields for grazing due to the persistent cold accompanied by thick fog.

Meanwhile, milk production has declined significantly as their cows and buffalos are suffering from various cold-related diseases like foot and mouth disease (FMD), locally known as Khura Rog, fever, cough and malnutrition, farmers said.

Farmer Seher Ali of Colonypara village in Kurigram's Nageshwari upazila said he has been facing serious difficulties in rearing his six cows due to the biting cold.

His cows are suffering from malnutrition as they cannot take food and water properly due to severe cold, he said.

Matiar Rahman, a farmer from Jorgachh village in Chilmari upazila, said due to the severe cold one of his four cows has been infected with foot and mouth disease.

He could not even take his four cows, two buffalos and six goats to the fields for grazing for the last couple of days due to cold and dense fog, he said.

Another farmer Afzal Hossain of Char Kulaghat village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila said he cannot even feed his six cows and eight goats properly due to acute fodder crisis caused by the persistent cold.

"I have been getting about nine litre milk from my three out of the six cows for the last three months, but the milk production is only five to six litres now," Afzal said.

According to Lalmonirhat and Kurigram District Livestock Office, there are about a total of 27 lakh cows, goats and buffaloes in the two districts and nearly three lakh families earn their livelihood by rearing those cattle.

Lalmonirhat District Livestock Officer (DLO) Dr Jahangir Hossain said they have been advising farmers to cover their cattle with jute sacks and cattle sheds with polythene to protect the livestock from the biting cold.