India, June 4 -- Farmers in Odisha's Ganjam district say repeated crop raids by wild boars have made paddy cultivation unviable in several villages.

Many farmers have switched from paddy to kewra, declared crop holidays, migrated for work or begun spending nights guarding their fields.

Blackbuck, monkeys and langurs are also damaging crops, though farmers in Ganjam continue to protect blackbuck because of local beliefs.

State data shows compensation has been paid for wildlife-related crop losses, but farmers say prevention measures such as fencing remain limited.

In Odisha's Ganjam district, K Bhimaya Reddy of Nakaram village has given up paddy cultivation on his 2.02 hectares of land for the past five years because wild boars repeate...