Lighthouse

Author(s): Udayvallabhvijay
Publisher: Pragna Prabodh Parivar

Page 90

Due to improper and insufficient arrangements for storage and distribution of foodgrains, thousands and lakhs of tons of foodgrains go waste. A large chunk of foodgrains gets diverted as poultry feed. In Western countries animals are reared for slaughter to obtain meat. An animal needs to be fed 7 to 15 kg. of foodgrain to generate one kg. of meat in its body mass.
Feeding grass to a milch animal produces milk in its body, whereas for obtaining meat, mutton or beef foodgrains are required to be fed to an animal. Lured by huge profits in meat export trade, the meat exporters rear and slaughter more and more animals and foodgrains find their way to such animals. This makes foodgrains out of the reach of
common man.
Let us have another analysis. From 16 kg. of foodgrains which are fed to animals to obtain one kg. of meat, 64 vegetarians can be fed (based on average requirement of 250 gms.) On the other hand, one kg. of meat can feed just four persons.
Thus, the ratio of foodgrain utilization between a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian works out to 1 : 16. In other words, one non-vegetarian snatches away the foodgrains of 16 vegetarians.
An in-depth analysis for finding out real reasons of foodgrain shortage is required. Let us consider some more factual information. To grow one kg. of wheat approx. 210 litres of water is required. On the other hand, for one kg. of meat more than 20000 litres of water is required (for obtaining one kg. of meat an animal is required to be fed 8
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