Silvester D’Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Oct 10: Protecting plantations and agricultural fields from wild animals has become a daunting challenge for the farmers. Even though the farmers have been using innovative fences, wild animals are finding a way to vandalise them. Currently, more people are turning their attention towards protecting crops with solar ibex fences.

Ibex solar fences are costly. They need installation of stone or concrete pillars. The wires are also quite costly. As such very small farmers find it difficult to spend heavily towards the fences. Therefore, farmers from villages like Halady and Amasebail have found an easier alternative to protect their crops. The farmers plant areca nut pillars around their fields and fix solar ibex fences. Pillars derived from trees last for three to four years. The wires they use last for a few years. They have used Selco solar for the fences to reduce cost. In this way, they have spent less towards protecting their crops.

Paddy fields face a serious threat from wild boars, deer, antelopes, gaurs etc. Solar ibex fences can stop them and the animals too do not face any harm. As soon as they brush against the fences, they feel electric shocks at which they become fearful and run away. Most of the farmers nowadays have been installing ibex fences. The farmers who are well off, have been installing ibex fences while the paddy growers who raise only one crop in a year, are choosing the less expensive simple solar fences.

Farmers from villages like Halady, Belve, Amasebail, Jaddigadde, Thombattu etc have mostly been using solar fences by using areca pillars in place of concrete ones. They have to spend about Rs 15,000 for battery, panel etc apart from wires. They also get subsidies from Dharmasthala Rural Development Project.

The farmers fix panels to the farmhouses located in the middle and keep batteries inside the houses. Once the fences are installed, they need not keep a watch on the fields the whole day. At nights, no animals enter the fields and there is no risk of loss of lives. Solar ibex fences are cheaper and safer as compared to electric fences. The Forest department also lays emphasis on ibex fences.

Many villages in the Halady zone have followed this system. Mainly these fences provide protection to paddy fields at a cheap rate. Selco Company too has been responding to the needs of the farmers. Now, solar panels can be seen over the rural households. The farmers say that as and when the pillars get damaged, they can replace them, as the wires last much longer.