Few takers for electric fencing scheme

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 17

The ambitious Mukhyamantri Khet Sanrakshan Yojana to provide electric fencing around fields to keep off wild animals has come a cropper. So far, only 687 farmers have opted for the scheme despite an 85 per cent subsidy on it.

Initially, the subsidy was 50 per cent, but it was increased to 80 per cent for individual farmers and 85 per cent for group of three or more for the current financial year. An amount of Rs 35 crore has been provided in the budget for subsidy.

As per the Agriculture Department, the cost of 1 m of solar energy fence has been fixed at Rs 690, while the cost with galvanised iron (GI) wire net panels is Rs 784 per m. However, the farmers lamented that the cost was unaffordable. “We cannot pay Rs 140 per m, Rs 160 per m for solar energy fence and GI wire net panels,” said Kanshi Ram, a farmer from Darlaghat.

“The government should persuade the farmers to adopt a cluster approach as landholdings in Himachal are small so that the cost is reduced further and more farmers can opt for it,” said Sujaat Chauhan, a farmer.

The response was so poor that during the first five months, only 40 farmers availed the subsidy amounting Rs 95.28 lakh and the total area brought under electric fencing was 35.274 hectares. “As many as 622 farmers got subsidy to the tune of Rs 17.21 crore during 2017-18, while the number of beneficiaries was only 25 in 2016-17, who received Rs 37.06 lakh as subsidy,” sources in the Agriculture Department said.

Out of 1.60 lakh hectares under cultivation, only 487.714 hectares has been protected with solar fencing, while the total circumference of the area is 2,77,214 metres.

Under the solar electric powered fencing, an energiser, solar panel, battery, fence monitoring equipment, insulation and poles are required. The poles are erected at an average distance of 5 m and 1.5 m to 2 m height and 5-11 lines of horizontal wires are required to keep the wild animals away.

The electric impulse generated by an energiser produces high-voltage impulses (8 kV approximately) once in every 0.9 to 1.2 seconds and current has psychological effect and does not harm animals. The government has approved component-wise rates for solar fencing and empanelled 25 service providers for surveying, designing, installation and commissioning of solar and electric fencing systems.

The wild animal nuisance has been a major cause of concern and it causes a loss of Rs 229 crore per annum to farmers as per government estimates, but a survey conducted by an NGO, Gyan Vigyan Samiti, has put the loss between Rs 400 and Rs 500 crore. Besides monkeys whose population has come down from 3,17,112 to 2,26,086 in the 2012 census, other wild animals have been damaging the crops. The government decided to implement the electric fencing scheme as it is a barrier that deters animals from crossing the boundary.