Farmers in Ghoraghat of Dinajpur district have been left helpless by rat attacks in aman paddy fields. Rats are cutting down paddy in the fields, and farmers say they cannot protect the crop despite using poison bait, fire pits, firecrackers, cassette tape, plastic bags, old clothes tied to sticks, banana plants and other methods.
Mehedul, a farmer of Rameshwarpur village, said it now seems the crop cannot ultimately be saved from the rats.
A visit to different fields in the upazila found rat infestation has increased in paddy fields. Farmers have set light traps in their paddy fields. They cannot tell when rats cut the base of the plants. When farmers return home from the fields and go back later, they find bundles of cut paddy plants in the fields.
Farmers said crops can sometimes be saved with medicine if there is an insect or disease attack, but there is no protection from rats.
Abdus Salam of Bhatchhala village used medicine on the advice of a market pesticide shop to protect crops from rats.
Saikat, a farmer of Rampura village in the upazila, said rats used to be caught in earlier days but the scale was not so large. He said rats stay in holes or bushes during the day and cut down paddy plants at night.
Farmers said it has become difficult to protect the crop in this aman season because of drought on one side, pest attacks on another and rat attacks as well.
To protect their crops, farmers are making desperate efforts with poison bait, fire pits, firecrackers, cassette tape, plastic bags, old clothes tied to sticks and banana plants placed in fields.
Asked about the issue, Ghoraghat Upazila Agriculture Officer Md. Rafiquzzaman said rats can be driven away if farmers work collectively using hot water, poison bait and firecrackers.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report