DHENKANAL:  For the farmers of two blocks in the district, it is virtually jungle life for six months in a year. Up against wild animals that intrude into human habitations and damage the crops, they are left with little choice but to spend sleepless nights on trees guarding their crops.

What started with occasional rampage by elephants and monkeys, it has become frequent and rampant in Kankadahada and Parjang blocks. Being animal lovers, the villagers restrain from taking an aggressive posture against them. But they cannot see the crop so strenuously raised by them go waste. So, they take the preventive step of driving herds of elephants and groups of monkeys out of the cropland.

As the monkeys mostly come during day and the elephants at night, the farmers build temporary houses on top of trees and keep watch on their crop fields. “We have approached the Forest officials several times, but in vain. Crop damage has led to serious financial problems for farmers who have taken loans,” said villagers.
Both farmers and officials plead helplessness in solving this perennial problem, and say they only try to drive the wild animals away manually.

Though Forest officials claim to be patrolling for 24 hours, the farmers alleged that no measure has been taken in the area as most people are sharecroppers and Government authorities hardly wake up to the problem.According to agriculture office sources, paddy has been grown in 10,400 hectares (ha) and non-paddy crops in 10,236 in Parjang and 7,242 ha paddy and 11,525 non-paddy ha in Kankadahada block in this kharif season.

From August to January, around 1,000 temporary houses can be noticed on top of trees in these areas and farmers spend sleepless nights to protect their crops from animal attack. While Forest department pays compensation of `10,000 per acre against crop loss to farmers, sharecroppers are deprived of the benefits, said social activist Sanjib Nayak.

Farmers Fakira Behera and Debananda Behera of Katumunda village said, “We carry food, torch, crackers, match box and winter clothes and climb trees to guard our crops during night. We often burst crackers to ward off wild animals. This apart, we have no option to protect our crops as the Government does not pay compensation to sharecroppers.”Deputy Director of Agriculture Chhabindra Behera said, “As there is no policy or provision for compensation to sharecroppers, we are unable to compensate them for crop loss.”