Banana field at Theethipalayam in Coimbatore ransacked by wild boars; farmers resent reluctance of Forest Department to carry out culling

A sounder of wild boars ransacked a banana field at Theethipalayam in Coimbatore district during the late hours of Friday, causing consternation among the farmers.

A major part of the two-acre farm with hundreds of banana trees was damaged by about 50 wild boars, local sources said.

The affected farmer Periyasamy lamented that his six months of toil had gone waste, and that he was facing hefty losses.

The farmers complained that their repeated demands for elimination of the wild boars that stray three kilometres beyond the forest limits have not been considered by the Forest Department in right earnest.

The State Government permits regulated culling of wild boars that stray beyond three-km from the forest.

However, the farmers in Coimbatore have been insisting that the State Government must declare wild boar as a vermin in order to control their population explosion outside the forest area.

Highlighting their demand the farmers’ associations are contemplating large-scale protests if there is no prompt action on the part of the government, it is learnt.

Official sources said the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has now covered crop loss due to wild animal attack under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

The insurance relief is provided under the ‘Localised Risk’ category. The farmers will be required to report losses within 72 hours using the Crop Insurance App by uploading geotagged photographs, it is learnt.