Prolonged hot weather has made grass and other natural feed scarce for livestock in Ninh Thuan Province. (Photo: VNA) Ninh Thuan (VNS/VNA) - Farmers inNinh Thuan province, which has the largest number of cattle and sheep and goatsin the country, are struggling to find natural food for their animals sinceprolonged hot weather has parched their pastures.
The south-central province has head of 401,525cattle, sheep and goats, according to its Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment.
Most are bred outdoors and on a small scale andallowed to feed on pasturelands.
Natural grass fields and agriculturalby-products on average only meet 35 percent of their needs, according to thedepartment.
The prolonged hot weather since early this yearhas worsened things.
Dinh Van Hung, who raises nearly 500 sheep in BacAi district’s Phuoc Trung commune, said he has to buy rice straw and dig pondsfor them.
During the peak dry season last year, 20 sheepdied due to lack of food and water, he said.
The dry season normally lasts between Decemberand August. The province has good conditions for animal husbandry thoughclimate change has been having an impact on it in recent years.
Truong Khac Tri, head of the province’sSub-department of Animal Health and Husbandry, said to protect livestock in thedry season this year, animal health and husbandry stations in districts havebeen told to instruct farmers in safeguarding them.
The sub-department has told farmers not toincrease the size of their herds and sell market-sized and old animals if theycannot secure food and water for them.
It has also instructed them to take special careof mothers and babies and give all their animals additional food like bran,corn flour and molasses.
The animals should not be allowed to graze outdoorsduring the hotter times of the day to ensure they do not dehydrate and becomesick, it said.
In recent years, the province has encouragedfarmers to raise livestock on a farm scale.
It has helped them set up co-operatives and tieup with companies to ensure there is stable demand for their livestock.
It has encouraged farmers to use low-yield ricefields to grow grass instead to feed their livestock and develop animalhusbandry sustainably.
The province plans to have 240,000 goats and456,000 sheep by 2020, according to the department.
As of last year, the numbers were 137,000 and160,000.-VNS/VNA
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