Cattle eat sugar cane as fodder gets dearer

Sugarcane farmers in Maharashtra are selling their produce at almost double the price to a grass-starved dairy sector as patchy rains and rising food prices push up cattle-feed costs.

A drought-like situation in many parts of the state, the biggest sugar producer, has created severe shortage of fodder and boosted demand for cane as replacement.

"Sugar factories last year paid 750 rupees per tonne. But I am getting 1,200 rupees to 1,300 rupees for providing cane as fodder," said Balasaheb Patil, a 50-year old farmer from Sangli, 400 km from Mumbai.

Patil has sold 20 tonnes of cane in last one month and said he expects to sell 40-50 tonnes more in next two months.

Barring the hot northern areas and its coastal belt, the state's Sangli-Kolhapur-Satara-Pune-Ahmednagar belt accounts for more than half its sugar and milk output.

Skewed pricing of cattle feed is also a reason. One tonne of manufactured feed cost around 6,500 rupees, while grass cost 1,400 rupees, farmers said.