Madurai :

At a time when environmentalists are urging people to plant more trees, here’s a village in Madurai where a majority of residents work as woodcutters. More than a 100 men of Poigaikaraipatti village have been woodcutters for years now. “People prefer woodcutters from our village, whenever trees are to be felled,” says V Chinnathambi, himself a woodcutter for more than two decades.

Earlier, people here used to work on farms. “But due to shortage of rain, we found it difficult to do farming or find farm-related work. So, many people started looking for jobs outside the village,” says Chinnathambi. That’s how many of the gravitated to cutting trees.

Now, contractors call them whenever a tree needs to be felled. If there is work, woodcutters leave the village early in the morning and work at the site till 5pm. “After lunch, we are provided snacks and tea. We are paid Rs 400 for a day’s work,” says K Veerakumar, another woodcutter.

But all isn’t well with their adopted profession either. Trees can’t be chopped any more at will. There aren’t, of course, many trees to cut. Moreover, stringent norms are in place to ensure that trees are protected whenever and wherever possible. This means woodcutters have less work these days.

“Many days we have no work at all. However, we manage because of the various government schemes. Our children study in government schools and we procure most of the essential commodities from ration shops or accesse them through the government’s public distribution scheme,” Veerakumar said.
Most families have very few demands except for quality education for their children. “Government should ensure that they provide quality education at government schools. We can not afford to send our children to private schools due to the exorbitant fees charged by them. Hence, government should ensure that they provide quality education. This will ensure a safe and bright future for our children,” says M Periya Kaalai, another woodcutter.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / TNN / February 20th, 2014

In the wake of the recent exhibition of Bargur cattle, organised by the Veterinary Department in the district recently, scientists have recommended popularisation of this breed by showcasing higher income-generation possibilities.

The indigenous breed, reared on the Bargur hills, find their own food, and do not require sheds. Owing to the low cost of rearing, cost of production per litre of milk and meat is lower than that of exotic breeds.

Also, the feed conversion ratio to milk and meat is superior, said A. Kirubakaran, Assistant Professor, Veterinary University Training and Research Centre, Erode. Superior productivity, and higher disease resistance capacity are the other advantages, he added, saying that no genetic abnormality has been identified till date among this breed of cattle.

The native breed was highly adaptable to our environment compared to exotic breeds. While native breeds do not face any problems up to seventh calving, the exotic breeds start developing complications after their third calving, Mr. Kirubakaran said.

Termed ‘Semmarai’ in Tamil since the horn, eyes, and muzzle are light red in colour, this breed of cattle, with typical brown colour and white patches, survive under zero-input conditions.

The dung of the native breed contain more microbes and acts as natural fertilizer to soil.

The milk-yielding capacity of the Bargur breed may not be as much as the yield of exotic breeds, but farmers on the hills have traditionally been rearing the cattle in large numbers as there was no need for them to spend on fodder, Regional Joint Director of Animal Husbandry Department P. Jayaraman said. The hooves of this breed were naturally strong and did not require horseshoes, he said.

Despite its compact size, Bargur ox is sought after for drawing carts and ploughing fields.

Farmers buy this cattle breed in large numbers at the annual shandy in Pudupalayam in Anthiyur block, Mr. Jayaraman said.

Popularisation of the Bargur cattle is expected to be a natural course as the State Animal Husbandry Minister T.K.M. Chinnaiah has assured to explore scope for starting a research centre for the indigenous breed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by R. Krishnamoorthy / Erode – February 15th, 2014