Sri Vijaya Puram, Sep 15: Livestock owners in South Andaman received 6,500 Super Napier stem cuttings on September 12 as the Department of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services sought to encourage fodder cultivation and improve access to green fodder for livestock.
The distribution was carried out by the Senior Veterinary Officer (SVO) of Veterinary Hospital, Garacharma, along with his team. A total of 21 livestock owners received the cuttings, including 20 beneficiaries from New Bimblitan and one livestock owner from Sippighat village under the Sippighat Gram Panchayat.
During the field programme, the SVO briefed the livestock owners on cultivation practices for Super Napier fodder. The guidance covered soil suitability, spacing between cuttings, row-to-row distance, irrigation requirements, expected yield and the crop’s growth cycle.
The livestock owners were also encouraged to follow scientific fodder cultivation practices to maintain a regular supply of quality green fodder for their animals.
The programme also included distribution of five Pashu Pushti Kits to livestock owners whose animals had undergone ETT. The kits were provided to supplement the animals’ nutritional requirements and support their health and productivity.
PRI member Mani Vannan attended the programme and extended support to the initiative.
The department said such field-level measures form part of its livestock welfare efforts, with a focus on fodder availability, animal nutrition and the productivity of livestock owners in the Islands.
The September 12 intervention combined fodder planting material, technical guidance and nutritional support for livestock owners. While the stem cuttings were distributed to encourage cultivation, the accompanying guidance addressed the practical requirements involved in growing Super Napier, including irrigation, spacing and the expected growth cycle.
The programme covered livestock owners in New Bimblitan and Sippighat, providing the beneficiaries with both planting material and information on its cultivation. The distribution of Pashu Pushti Kits separately addressed nutritional supplementation for animals that had undergone ETT.
