Rajkot: Besides boosting lion conservation efforts, the massive increase in grass production has reduced Gujarat’s dependency for fodder on other states during peak summer.
According to official data, 1.16 crore grass was cultivated in 2015-16 which is expected to touch 2.05 crore kg by the end of current financial year. The forest department has created a capacity to produce nearly seven crore kg grass per year.
Few years ago, the state government had to purchase nearly 10 crore kg fodder for cattle during summers. This spurred the need for focusing on grass production.
The forest department stores this grass in its warehouses and supplies to the revenue department as per the requirement. The department is increasing it’s storage capacity every year. The grass cultivation is done in Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Morbi and Surendranagar district out of which Bhavnagar has the highest area while the production has increased by nearly 188% over the last 10 years.