Wild boars have damaged large swathes of ripe paddy in the past few days in Aul, Rajnagar, Rajkanika and Mahakalapada blocks in Kendrapada district.

"Wild boars have been entering ripe paddy fields during the harvest season. As a result, we are facing a challenge to protect our crops," said Janakar Sethi of Digochia village under Aul block.

"Wild boars destroyed three acres of paddy crop last week," said Kalakar Nayak, a farmer of the same village.

Sarat Das of Bagapatia under Rajnagar block said, "These animals are causing huge financial loss to farmers. For the past few weeks, farmers have been forced to stay awake at night to burst crackers and bang tins to protect their crops."

"Wild boars are forced due to the dwindling forest cover to wander into villages for food. They are tempted by ripe paddy, vegetables and dry fish," said Sudhansu Parida, secretary of the district unit of People for Animals.

Manas Das, range officer of Bhitarkanika National Park, said, "We fenced many areas near the mangrove forests to prevent boars from entering villages.

Forest guards are patrolling to prevent animals from raiding fields.

Compensation for crop loss will be disbursed within 15 days after farmers lodge complaints online on Anukampa app. Farmers are entitled to a compensation of Rs 10,000 for damage to an acre of paddy by wild animals."

Farmers in Canacona are demanding compensation for their losses due to wild animals destroying their paddy fields. They have requested that the government provide electric fences to protect their crops. The farmers claim that the forest department is responsible for the crop loss as they fail to care for the wild animals in sanctuaries. The farmers are seeking relief from both the agriculture and forest departments and asking for a mechanism to assess the damage caused and compensate them accordingly. A balance between wildlife conservation and the livelihood of the locals is important in this region.

Around 25,000 people from 25 villages in Sironcha taluka, Gadchiroli district, are protesting against Telangana's Kaleshwaram Lift irrigation scheme. The villagers claim that the scheme has caused their ancestral land to become barren and has resulted in the loss of their crops due to floods caused by the Medigadda barrage. The barrage has helped with transportation but has come at the cost of productive agricultural land. The villagers are demanding compensation and the status of project-affected people. The Telangana government has already paid for damages to affected landowners.

A study conducted by the Centre for Multi-Disciplinary Development Research (CMDR) in Karnataka, India, has found that many farmers in the Belagavi district have voluntarily stopped growing tobacco and switched to alternative crops. The area of land under tobacco cultivation in the district has decreased from 24,000 hectares to 6,000-7,000 hectares. Farmers are now growing sugarcane, maize, soybean, cotton, and engaging in floriculture. Similar research is being conducted in other states in India, and workshops are being planned to encourage tobacco growers to adopt alternative crops.

Source - https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com