Agri dept drafts fencing policy to protect crops from wildlife, stray animals

Dehradun: The agriculture department has prepared a “fencing policy” to help farmers protect their crops from repeated raids by wildlife and stray animals — a problem that officials say has forced some cultivators to abandon farming altogether.Wild boars, monkeys and blue bulls have caused significant damage to agricultural land in both the hills and the plains, with Almora, Pauri and Uttarkashi recording particularly high numbers of such incidents, officials said. Stray animals have added to the pressure on farming communities.Agriculture director Dinesh Kumar said, “The proposed policy includes provisions for multiple fencing options, including vegetative fencing, barbed-wire fencing and solar fencing, depending on local requirements.

He added that the policy is intended to support both agriculturists and horticulturists.”Officials said crop losses caused by wildlife have been identified by the Uttarakhand Migration Prevention Commission as one of the factors contributing to outmigration from hill regions.Financial support for farm fencing was earlier available under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) when the scheme received funding from the Union govt.

After the support was discontinued, the state did not have a dedicated fencing programme for farmers, officials said.In 2025, during a visit to Chamoli, Union agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced an allocation of Rs 90 crore for fencing-related interventions. Following this, the state initiated the process of formulating a fencing policy in view of the increasing incidence of crop damage caused by wildlife and stray animals, officials said.

Under the proposed policy, the state will also provide financial support for fencing measures. And it would be for the first time that state will provide dedicated funds for fencing the farmlands to stop raids, officials said.According to the Uttarakhand Migration Prevention Commission, the area under kharif cultivation in the state declined by 13% between 2016-17 and 2021-22, while the area under rabi crops decreased by 15% during the same period.

The commission’s report also identified monkeys and wild boars as the primary wildlife species associated with crop damage.Officials said Rs 25 crore was released by the Union agriculture ministry in June and would soon be disbursed to farmers. The draft policy was recently discussed with the planning department and is now with the finance department for further action.