Hyderabad: Telangana state government plans to meet centre in order to lift the ban on cattle sale. Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav said CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao is expected to hold a meeting.
The government feels that this “draconian” measure will affect around 85 lakh small and marginal farmers.
As per the new notification on cattle sale, only farmland owners will be allowed to get involved in cattle business at animal markets, which covers bulls, bullocks, cows, buffaloes, steers, heifers, calves and camel.
According to a report of DC, the TS government wants Centre to lift the ban on the sale of old and injured cattle for slaughter as they cannot be used in agricultural activities. If farmers are not allowed to sell such cattle, they will have to bear the financial burden of their maintenance.
Kerala and West Bengal have opposed the ban, on the other hand, other states are seeking certain relaxations.
Animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav said that in a federal set-up, the Centre should consult states before taking such a crucial decision affecting lakhs of farmers, besides other industries which are dependent on cattle.
“Such unilateral decisions taken by the Centre will create unnecessary problems in states. This issue is under the consideration of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He is expected to convene a meeting soon and decide how to go ahead on this issue,” Mr Yadav said.
As per animal husbandry department statistics, there are 275 government-run animal markets in Telangana State and 175 private ones. There are another 1,000 small markets in rural areas and a total of 92 lakh cows, bulls and buffaloes in the state.
Another condition put by the Central government is that farmers must have identity cards to sell cattle and need to seek certificates from agencies concerned to prove that the cattle is being sold only for agricultural purposes.
“Who will give a certificate that old cattle is being sold for agricultural purpose? What can farmers do with old, useless cattle and other animals?” Mr Yadav asked.