Hyderabad: Bharatamma has brought in a vet to examine her buffaloes. She jokes that her ailing husband, Bhupathy Reddy, won't get as much attention.
"With my crop destroyed by the drought, my buffaloes and their milk are my only hope," she said. So Bharatamma spent Rs 12,000 on fodder for her cattle.
She thinks that's a wise investment because there is an estimated 30 per cent fall in milk production in Andhra Pradesh. But other farmers are also resorting to the same Plan B. And that means fodder prices are climbing quickly.
Therefore, Bharatamma's neighbour has sold two buffaloes, but has held onto his cows, simply because they eat less.
Krishna Yadav is a full-time dairy farmer in Hyderabad. He says the drought has affected business like never before.
"For two months, there has been no rain. Today it has rained for an hour. Where will the fodder for buffaloes come from? Green grass is not even available. Each buffalo used to yield seven to eight litres of milk. Now they give two and a half to three or four litres. Even if I increase price from Rs 30 to Rs 40 a litre, I still can't make ends meet," said Krishna Yadav.
The impact is being felt in homes across Andhra Pradesh. Milk prices have gone up by Rs two in the last month, paneer costs Rs 70 more, and curd and butter have seen prices climb by Rs 30.
With the festival season around the corner, family budgets will be stretched if traditional sweets are to feature in the celebrations.