Under the plan, farmers will grow fodder in areas with irrigation and process it into silage. (AI Generated Image)

With drought declared in 305 of Maharashtra’s 358 talukas, the state Animal Husbandry Department has launched a statewide campaign, ‘Mission Murghas’ (Silage Mission), to prevent a fodder crisis by encouraging farmers to convert green fodder into silage while it is still available.

Animal Husbandry Commissioner Kiran Patil said the mission aims to prevent future fodder shortages by preserving green fodder scientifically. A scarcity of green fodder during drought years affects animal health and milk yields, hurting the finances of livestock-owning families.

The government had earlier allocated Rs 51.20 crore for the 2026-27 Kharif season. Of this, Rs 48.20 crore was earmarked for distributing fodder seeds under the District Annual Plan and Rs 3 crore under the Vidarbha-Marathwada Dairy Development Project.…