Farmers of Drukjeygang Gewog in Dagana are expecting a bountiful harvest this year with the installation of an electric fence.The 3.5-kilometre electric fence is specially designed to prevent crops from marauding monkeys.
Every year, farmers loose around 70 percent of their crops to the monkeys. Locals grow oranges, bananas, cardamom and vegetables as their main source of income. But they say wild animals have left little for them to harvest.
“One person always had to stay and guard the crops,” said Nado, a farmer from Thangna village in the Drukjeygang gewog. “If not, we would only get to harvest around 30 to 40 percent of the crop. The rest was lost to the monkeys.”
For the first time in this gewog, officials have installed fences with ten cables to stop golden langurs and monkeys from invading crops. Six-cabled electric fences proved ineffective against monkeys and langurs, which damage the crops more than other wild animals.
The electric fence benefits 70 households.
Similar fences have also been installed in four other villages. The installation of a four-kilometre fence is currently underway in Pangserpo village.
