Wild boars raid agricultural fields and destroy standing crops, say Palani farmers

District administration to intervene to prevent wild boar raids on Palani farmers' crops & address their grievances at Dindigul Collectoratte.

Farmers in Palani area have demanded an early intervention of the district administration to prevent raids by wild boars into their agricultural fields as the animals destroyed their standing crop due to which they suffered huge losses.

They made the representation - a demand which they have made many times - at the monthly farmers’ grievance redress meeting at the Dindigul Collectoratte on Friday. Collector M.N. Poongodi presided over the meeting and heard the grievances of the farmers.

Kalidas from Periammapatti near Palani said that the wild boars destroyed their crops and if the farmers attempted to chase them away, the animals attacked them. Another farmer from Sirumalai said that the wild animals came in herds and destroyed their crops in the foothills.

After listening to their plights, the Collector said that she would direct the forest officials to examine the modalities for a permanent solution to the wild boar menace.

A farmer from Sanarpatti complained that due to encroachments in Kanavaipatti, the channel could not carry water for irrigation and repeated pleas to the local authorities to remove them had not fetched any desired results.

Another farmer, Radhakrishnan, said that due to lack of manpower in the Landakottai Primary Agriculture Cooperative Bank, they were unable to repay loans. The Collector said that from Tuesday (December 26), there would be sufficient staff. She also assured to look into the reasons for not having disbursed interest-free loans to eligible farmers and respond to them soon.

Joint Director of Agriculture Anusuya said that the district’s average annual rainfall had a surplus of 82.57 mm. As against the annual rainfall of 836 mm, the district received 918.57 mm till date, she said and added that in December, against the average of 65 mm, the district had received 43.81 mm rain till December 22.