COIMBATORE: For farmers who have spent years guarding their fields through the night against marauding wild boars, a plant-based bio-repellent developed by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) is offering a measure of relief, with several farmers reporting a significant reduction in crop damage after adopting the technology.
Farmers in parts of Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Coimbatore districts say the wild boar menace has intensified in recent years, with animals increasingly entering farms in groups and damaging crops.
Traditional methods such as crackers, loudspeakers and night patrols have provided only temporary relief as the animals gradually become accustomed to the sounds.
"Until a decade ago, seeing a wild boar was a rare occurrence. But their numbers have increased significantly over the past few years, and they have become a major headache for farmers. Earlier, only one or two boars would come into our tapioca fields. Later, they started invading in groups and causing extensive damage. We installed the bio-fence for the first time in 2023-24 and found it effective in reducing the menace," said K Sivakumar (51), a farmer from Kattupatti near Uthangarai in Krishnagiri.
Further, the farmer said the repellent remains effective for about two and a half months before it needs to be replenished.
"While smaller and medium-sized wild boars generally avoid the fields because of the smell, larger animals occasionally breach the bio-barrier. We used the repellent last year around our 10-acre farm, where we cultivated tapioca and maize. This year, however, we shifted to plantain because of the heavy infestation affecting tapioca," he added.
Farmers say the repellent itself is relatively affordable, but the labour involved in installing the bio-fence adds to the cost. Rainfall can also reduce its effectiveness, resulting in the repellent's wastage.
K Mugundan, a farmer from Pappireddipatti in Dharmapuri district, said the bio-fence had proved useful in protecting his uncle's tapioca farm. "We erected the bio-fence around a few acres of the farm during the tapioca harvest season last year to keep wild boars away. It considerably helped in reducing the menace," he said.
Farmers in and around Pappireddipatti have traditionally resorted to a range of methods to keep wild boars away, including staying awake through the night and bursting crackers whenever the animals approached.
Many farms also installed loudspeakers that played sounds of elephant trumpeting, other animals and crackers throughout the night. However, farmers said the animals gradually became accustomed to these sounds, reducing their effectiveness.
Some farmers continue to take turns keeping watch at night to prevent the animals from entering their fields.
In Coimbatore district, farmers have also reported positive results from the bio-repellent. Karthikeyan of Iruttupallam near Alandurai said the product had helped reduce wild boar intrusions into a seven-acre farm where vegetables and other crops were cultivated.
"We used the repellent three times on the farm, and wild boar intrusions reduced significantly afterwards," he said.
With the wild boar population and crop damage rising in several farming belts, farmers say the bio-repellent provides a more practical alternative to the increasingly difficult task of guarding fields through the night.