Tamil farmers in Mannar recently expressed their disgruntlement with Sri Lankan government officials whose decisions to allow cattle grazing in farmlands has adversely impacted those dependent on agriculture.
It was decided at the meeting of the Boundary Planning Committee to move the Nanattan and Adampan grazing lands into the farmlands of Mannar district. This move to permit grazing in the large open space in the Iluppakkadavai area comes ahead of the paddy cultivation which is to be carried out in time for this year.
Farmers allege that such decisions affect farmers in several farming villages that fall under the purview of the Iluppakkadavai Agrarian Service every year.
Many farmers have also been affected in the past year and many of the livestock have not been stuffed in barns at night, thus causing havoc to the paddy crop.
They are also concerned that upland cultivation in the village of Thettavadi is being provided by livestock. Government officials are also accused of not listening to the pleas made by affected farmers.
Farmers have demanded that government officials take responsibility for any damage caused by livestock, and according to them, they met with the Manthai West Divisional Secretary and Government Agent last year to explain their vulnerabilities and insist that they should not be allowed to bring livestock this time, according to local farmers' organizations.
But farmers in the area said they were saddened by the arrival of cattle this time around. It is also understood that a cattle grazier was killed by an elephant in the Nanattan area.
Livestock breeders and Iluppaikkadavai farmers are affected by the lack of permanent grazing land.
The affected farmers said that the root cause of the problem was the inability of government officials and politicians to decide on the long-running grazing land issue, adding that if the situation continues, the affected farmers will have to launch a protest.
