The farmers, filed level agriculture officials, teachers, students and common people eliminated over 0.98 million rats saving 7,371 tonnes of crops worth Taka 10.6 million last year in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region, reports BSS.
Agriculturists disclosed the information on Thursday afternoon at launching function of the month-long Rat Elimination Campaign-2019 and distribution of prizes among successful rat-killers of all five districts under the agriculture region.
The Rangpur regional office of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), its Rangpur district and Sadar upazila offices jointly organised the function at conference room of the DAE’s Additional Director in the city.
Chairman of Rangpur District Council Advocate Chhafia Khanom attended the function and inaugurated the campaign as the chief guest.
With Regional Additional Director DAE Agriculturist Muhammad Ali in the chair, it’s Deputy Director for Rangpur Agriculturist Dr. Md. Sarwarul Haque and Deputy Director for Gaibandha Dr. SM Ferdous addressed the function as special guests.
Deputy Directors and Additional Deputy Directors (Plant Protection) of DAE, District Training Officers, Upazila Agriculture Officers, Agriculture Extension Officers, Sub-assistant Agriculture Officers and farmers from all over the region were present.
Additional Deputy Director (Plant Protection) Agriculturist Matlubar Rahman of the DAE delivered PowerPoint presentation narrating the damages being caused by rats to crops and properties annually and suggested the way-outs.
Side by side with destroying 10 to 12 per cent or even more of cereal and other crops, rats damage boundaries of arable lands, roads, flood control embankments, irrigation canals and other properties every year in the country.
“Rats destroy about 5 to 7 per cent Aman paddy, 4 to 10 per cent wheat, 5 to 7 per cent potato, 6 to 9 per cent different fruits, 5 per cent vegetables, 10 per cent coconut, huge stored crops and 7 to 10 per cent irrigation water causing massive losses annually,” he said.
“Rats annually destroy huge paddy sufficient for feeding 5.0-5.5 million people in the country,” he said putting stress on creating social awareness for eliminating rats to save huge crops for attaining sustainable national food security.
The chief guest called upon filed level agriculture officials and workers, farmers, students, teachers and common people to make the rat elimination campaign successful and save huge crops for national food security.
Later, she distributed prizes among farmers, sub-assistant agriculture officers and educational institutions of the region for killing maximum number of rats last year.