A farmer from Dharwad has installed CCTV cameras in his field to protect his expensive chilli crop from thieves. With theft on the rise due to good crop prices, the 4-acre farm is now being monitored with solar-powered cameras.
Hubli (Karnataka): To protect his high yielding chilli crop from thieves, a farmer here has installed CCTV cameras in his field. Now the field crops are safe under the surveillance of cameras. This experiment has been done by farmer Annappa Channappa Mayannavar of Chikkanarati village of Kundgol taluka of Dharwad district.
chilli farmers
In the last two-three years, the number of farmers growing chilli had increased in this village. However, the number of small-scale chilli growers has reduced due to poor production and falling prices due to rain. There are more than 1200 voters in Chikkanarti, which means the population is more than 3 thousand. Only two farmers have grown chilli crop in the entire village. One of them has grown chilli in 4 acres and the other in 2 acres. The chilli crop is ready for harvesting two or three times.
Right now the first harvesting work is going on. This time also chilli crop is getting good price in the market. Therefore the terror of thieves has increased. It is being told that they enter the fields at night and steal the chilli crop. Once the field is entered, seven-eight bags of chilli are stolen.
Two 360 degree rotating cameras
Many times he kept vigil by sleeping in the fields at night. But for how many days will one sleep in the fields? It was becoming difficult to save the crops from thieves. Therefore he thought why not install CCTV cameras in the fields. Accordingly, he has installed two solar-powered CCTV cameras. A CCTV camera has been installed by placing a big pole right in the middle of the 4 acre land. Both cameras rotate 360 degrees. This has got rid of the problem of thieves. Farmers say that Rs 50 thousand have been spent on this.
Compulsion to spend money even on security
In Gudgeri of the same taluka, a farmer named Shankaraiya is protecting his crops by installing CCTV cameras in his field. This time the crop has been good and now CCTV cameras have been installed for its security. The crop is now ready for harvesting. Looking at the current situation, it is expected that the price will also be good. If the price of dry chilli is as good as expected by the farmers then they will benefit. Overall, it is true that now along with growing the crop, there is also a compulsion to spend on CCTV for its security.
Chikkanarathi’s chilli farmer Annappa Mayannavar says, ‘We have grown chillies in 4 acres. Now it is ready for harvesting. Only two farmers grow chilli in our village. The terror of thieves had increased a lot since few days. Therefore, I have installed 2 CCTV cameras running on solar energy. Now the terror of thieves has reduced.