Elephants destroy crops in Vietnam

In certain parts of Vietnam farmers are having to deal with a peculiar pest, much larger than the usual a farmer has to deal with. According to the Quick-reaction Task Force in the Phu Ly commune of Vinh Cuu district, from January to April 2016, wild elephants entered residential quarters 69 times and caused 71 cases of crop damage.

They damaged 4.7 hectares of cassava, 2.1 hectares of sugarcane and 22 tons of fruits. Hoang Thi Thuy from Phu Ly commune complained that elephants ‘visited’ her house several times. They not only ate mango, but damaged 20 10-year-old trees that had brought a stable income.

Thuy said that each mango tree produces 100 kilos of fruit. With the average price of VND5,000 per kilo, Thuy can earn VND500,000 each crop. As such, Thuy loses about VND10 million a year, the main source of income of her family.

In 2008-2013, the people’s committees of Vinh Cuu and Dinh Quan districts had to spend VND12 billion to support people in the areas attacked by elephants.

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