Farmers welcome government’s decision to cull wild boars

Farmers urge district administration for permission to rear milch animals, address crop destruction, and infrastructure issues at monthly meeting.

Welcoming the government order to cull wild boars, which destroyed standing crops, farmers have urged the district administration to help get concurrence from the forest officials for rearing milch animals on Friday.

The monthly farmers’ grievance redress meeting was held at the Collectorate. Collector Ranjeet Singh was in the chair. He appealed to the officials to give their responses within about 15 days to the farmers concerned. At the meeting, Pichumani from Andipatti said that despite a Hight Court directive to permit rearing of milch animals in designated forest lands, forest officials and the revenue department had not issued relevant orders. The farmers also wanted a road laid from Combai to Thevaram for transporting farm produce.

Govindan from Kadamalai said that at least 120 coconut trees, which were fully grown, were destroyed by an elephant. He appealed to the forest officials to help prevent crops and lives.

Angusami from Kandamanoor alleged that a private wind mill had installed its plant and urged the officials for its removal.

The farmers also demanded enhancement of minimum support price for sugarcane. Though payment was remitted for putting up solar fencing, it had not been done, a few farmers complained.

A farmer, Murugan, said that he had sown 2.5 lakh palm seeds in the district and that in 2024 alone, 50,000 seeds were sown. John Kennedy from Rayappanpatti said that the road from Koraioothu to Vellimalai should be laid as it would benefit a large number of farmers to transport fertilizers and farm produce.

Saying water bodies had been encroached, the farmers appealed to the Collector to convene a meeting with the PWD and WRD officials. When a farmer raised apprehension about leopard movement in his field over the last two days, the forest officials assured action.