08 October,2026 04:32 PM IST | Nanded (Maharashtra) | mid-day online correspondent
Of the 16 talukas in Nanded district, 14 have been included among the 265 talukas in Maharashtra where drought has been declared. Representational Pic/File
The Nanded district administration in Maharashtra has imposed restrictions on the large-scale purchase, transportation and unnecessary industrial use of crop residues to ensure adequate fodder for livestock amid drought conditions, officials said, reported the PTI.
The order was issued by Nanded Collector Rahul Kardile on Wednesday. The administration said agricultural residues that can be processed and used as fodder need to be protected from being diverted for industrial purposes.
According to the PTI, of the 16 talukas in Nanded district, 14 have been included among the 265 talukas in Maharashtra where drought has been declared.
The district has also recorded below-average rainfall this year, raising concerns over reduced fodder production and a possible shortage in the coming months.
The administration said the restrictions were aimed at preventing a further shortage of fodder for livestock owners.
Under a fodder awareness campaign being implemented across the district, farmers are being encouraged to process residues from soybean, wheat, sorghum, gram, tur and sugarcane, among other crops, to produce nutritious fodder for livestock, the news agency reported.
Officials said these agricultural residues can provide an important source of feed during drought conditions if they are properly processed and preserved.
The district administration observed that soybean residue, dry stalks, fodder, sugarcane trash, bagasse and other agricultural residues were being purchased in large quantities by industries, as per the PTI.
These materials are being used as fuel in biomass, biocoal and other industrial processes.
The administration said diverting large quantities of such material for industrial use could worsen the fodder shortage in the district.
The order therefore restricts unnecessary industrial use, as well as the large-scale procurement and transportation of agricultural residues that are required for livestock.
The administration said the move is intended to ensure that crop residues remain available to farmers and livestock owners during the drought period, the news agency reported.
Authorities are also urging farmers to make better use of available agricultural residues by converting them into nutritious fodder rather than allowing them to be diverted for other purposes.
(with PTI inputs)
