Thrissur: Paddy farmers in Cherpu, Thrissur, are blasting firecrackers to fend off a growing threat to their crop—large flocks of pigeons and cranes. Already grappling with multiple challenges in paddy cultivation, farmers say they have been left with no option but to adopt this costly and unusual method to protect their fields.

In addition to using low-intensity crackers, farmers have set up small raised platforms in the fields to carry out the explosions, hoping the noise will scare the birds away before they damage the crop.

But the effort has come with a steep price tag. "It’s hard to find anyone willing to do this job even for a daily wage of ₹1,000. On top of that, we have to spend on the firecrackers themselves," said a farmer from the region.

Pigeons, farmers say, have been the most destructive. "They feed on the paddy seeds. This season, we had to sow the fields three times because flocks of pigeons descended and cleared out everything," said a cultivator at Manaleppad in Jubilee Thevar Padavu. "If we are not alert, thousands of pigeons can arrive suddenly and eat all the seeds within minutes," he added.

Abdul Hameed, another farmer, said he spent ₹18,000 in just 11 days to save his crop— ₹11,000 on wages for a worker hired to blast crackers and ₹7,000 on explosives. "Some birds have become used to the sound of normal firecrackers. We now have to use high-decibel ones to drive them away," he said.