Subsidy for Solar Fencing to Keep Monkeys Off Mooted
Commission member Ramreddy Gopal Reddy said on Saturday that they had pitched for a subsidy for setting up electrified fencing around fields for farmers with one to three acres of land to keep away not just monkeys, but also wild boar and, in some places, deer that raid crops.
Hyderabad: The Telangana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Commission is pitching for direct action to tackle the monkey menace, which it says has contributed to the decision of many farmers to shift to growing paddy and cotton.
Commission member Ramreddy Gopal Reddy said on Saturday that they had pitched for a subsidy for setting up electrified fencing around fields for farmers with one to three acres of land to keep away not just monkeys, but also wild boar and, in some places, deer that raid crops.
“We had two meetings with Nabard (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) on the issue of subsidies for erecting solar-powered fencing for vegetable crops. This is the only way to keep away the animals that otherwise raid such crops,” Gopal Reddy said.
“A vast majority of Telangana’s villages are affected by marauding monkey troops. But since solar fencing can cost up to `20,000 an acre, farmers will need a subsidy, and we approached Nabard for a scheme to help make this happen with state government support,” he said.
The problem of monkey-related damage to vegetable and other crops was also discussed threadbare at a meeting the commission had with experts and representatives of various agriculture and allied organisations, including TG Oilfed, ICRISAT, and agriculture department officials. According to agriculture officials, among the main challenges faced by farmers in crop diversification are wild boar, deer and monkeys raiding crops.
In Telangana, according to official data, 11 of its 33 districts are listed as being plagued by the monkey menace, with Khammam, Adilabad, KB Asifabad, Mancherial, Nirmal, Warangal, Mahabubabad, Karimnagar and Jagtial topping the list, while nine other districts are listed as moderately affected by monkeys.
Gopal Reddy also said that in view of the predicted poor monsoon, crop raids by animals may only increase this year, especially with monkeys taking the lead in not just destroying crops but also establishing themselves further in villages. “Each monkey pair gives birth to one or two young ones each year, and their numbers are growing, as is the monkey menace,” he said.