Wild Boars Destroy Farmers' Harvests in Lebak

JAKARTA - Several farmers in Rangkasbitung, Lebak Regency, Banten, have suffered crop failures due to attacks by wild boars, estimated to number up to eight.

As a result, the farmers have suffered tens of millions of rupiah in losses.

"All of our secondary crops and tuber crops were destroyed by the wild boars," said Patma, a farmer in Citawang Rangkasbitung, Lebak Regency, on Sunday, August 10, as reported by Antara.

The wild boar attack destroyed two plots of peanut crops, or 2,500 square meters, as well as sweet potato and cassava fields.

Patma said that for the past three days, his plantation has also been affected by wild boar attacks. He estimated that the wild boar habitat in his area had been lost due to the construction of the Karian Dam.

The community plantations located near the PTPN VIII oil palm plantation have become a feeding ground for wild boars only this time.

"This is the first time we've been attacked by wild boars, because we've never experienced wild boar attacks before," said Jumanah, another farmer.

Jumanah said the wild boar attacks have reduced the yields of secondary crops, sweet potatoes, and cassava.

These crops should have been harvested, but they were damaged by attacks by wild boar groups.

The wild boar groups roamed around in the early morning, threatening the safety of the community.

"We saw that the wild boar groups were overwhelmed, because there were quite a lot of them and they were large," he said.

Meanwhile, Deni Iskandar, Head of the Production Division of the Lebak Regency Agriculture Service, said that farmers whose agricultural areas were attacked by wild boars were located close to forest areas or oil palm plantations.

"We hope farmers will guard their crops from night to early morning to prevent wild boar attacks," he said.