Wild boars destroy black gram crops

Atmakuru: A large herd of wild boars has been destroying standing crops especially black gram crop in Atmakuru, Kottapalli, Pamulapadu and Velugodu mandals of the Atmakuru sub-division.

The wild boars, numbering at least 30 to 40, are prowling in four mandals and destroying crops at the rate of 15 quintals per each hectare.

In the current Rabi season, farmers of the four mandals had raised black gram in 3,949 hectares. When the time was ripe for harvesting the crops, the wild boars in groups are causing damage to the crop.

The menace has assumed serious proportion in the last 10 days. The farmers are apprehensive of killing the boars as the forest department would file cases against them.

In Atmakur mandal, nine villages; five in Velugodu mandal, seven in Pamulapadu mandal and 12 in Kottapalli mandal bore the brunt of the wild board attack. The wild animals destroyed crops in 1800 hectares in 34 villages.

Black gram is selling at Rs 7,000 per quintal. The yield this year has been 10 quintals per acre. The farmers have been incurring an expenditure of Rs 5000 per an acre in raising the crop.

While the crop loss has been put at 1.5 quintals per acre, the forest department has washed its hands off the matter by saying it would pay compensation of a mere Rs 1800 per three acres.

At the rate of 15 quintals per hectare the sub-division lost black gram crop in 27000 hectares because of the wild boar menace.

The farmers to date have incurred a loss of Rs 18.9 crore in 34 villages of four mandals.