RAJSHAHI, Sept 05: Attack of rodents at Aus paddy fields under Mohanpur upazila is causing widespread crop damage.
According to sources, Aus paddy will ripen within a couple of weeks.
Due to favourable climatic condition, farmers of the upazila have cultivated Aus paddy on some 8,000 hectares of land in the upazila.
Though some paddy plant were destroyed due to heavy rainfall and water-logging, the overall growth of the crop was satisfactory.
Now, every plant has already flowered and sheaves of paddy have been formed.
As the paddy fields are drying up, thousands of rodents have started making nests by burrowing soil in the fields.
They cut the sheaves of paddy and store those in their nests.
Some conscious farmers were trying to eradicate rodents from their fields by using poison baits and traps but due to absence of a combined effort by the farmers, it was not being possible to contain rodents fully the fields.
Majedur Rahman, a farmer of Mogra Beel area under Keshorhat municipality, said the growth of Aus paddy is satisfactory this season.
Due to absence of rainfall for a long time, the fields have become dried up and there was no pest attack in the field but a dried-up soil of the field has caused a favourable nesting and breeding ground of rats.
He said in accordance with the advice of local agriculture officials and block supervisors, banana plants have been placed beside the paddy fields, naphthalene and other pesticides are being applied but by no way menace of rodents could be stopped.
Samed Ali, a farmer of Biddyadhapur Beel area under Mougachhi union, said every year rodents' infestation is noticed in the paddy fields during the flowering period of paddy.
But, this year the attack of rodents is excessive and beyond of control.
Every farmer in the upazila is trying to contain the rodent attack from their fields. Despite the conventional method of rat killing, farmers are working according to the suggestion of the agriculture officials.
Rahima Khatun, upazila agriculture officer of Mohanpur, admitted the present situation of rodent attack in the upazila.
Farmers are applying poison, hanging polythene and setting up scare-crows at their paddy fields to get ride rats.
