RANGPUR, Oct 08: The peasants of different areas under Ulipur upazila in Kurigram district are apprehensive about expected yield of Aman paddy as rats have attacked many paddy fields and were wreaking havoc.
Farmers alleged that with the hope to recoup the losses of recent flood they began Aman farming with zeal but they are suffering massive losses as large area of Aman fields in the upazila have been affected by the rats. The rodents are indiscriminately cutting down Aman plants.
Sources alleged the menace is on the increase though farmers have made repeated attempts to control it by adopting different methods like using pesticides or traps.
According to Upazila Agricultural Office sources about 23,700 hectares of land have been brought under Aman cultivation in the upazila during the current season with a production target of around 64,000 tonnes of rice.
But the farmers are worried as they might not get expected output if they are not able to get rid of the adverse situation.
Expressing much concern Kalipad Barmon, a farmer of Siddhat Malatibari village in the upazila said that rats have damaged paddy plants of his 40 decimals of lands. They are facing much difficulty in combating the menace despite using pesticides and traps.
The rodents very seldom touch food items covered with pesticides and most of the time they cleverly escape the traps which are kept at the entrance of the ditches.
Upazila Agriculture office sources said rat killing campaign will begin soon in the areas. The farmers are given advices on proper use of pesticides and irrigation to protect their paddy fields from rat attack.
Our Rajshahi correspondent adds: A day labourer of Bagatipara upazila in Natore district was engaged in eradication of rats voluntarily from the fields of other people to save crops.
Muktar Molla (46), son of Abdus Samad Molla of village Chalkharirampur under Bagatipara Sadar said catching or killing rats from the fields of other people is his favourite pastime.
Whenever he gets time, he entered into the crop fields of villagers with rat-traps to catch rats. He is expert in detecting the nests where rats used to live and breed. Such killing of rats from crop fields of other people has created sensation in the area.
Muktar Molla informed, he has been catching rats from crop fields of various villages including Chalk Harirampur, Harirampur, Tomaltola, Jogipara and Koalipara for last ten years. Once he used to work as the shallow tube-well machine operator and used to kill rats from neighboring areas.
Later on, he started to kill rat with poison-trap by visiting fields and houses. Now he uses rat-traps to catch rats. Every afternoon he set the traps in the fields using flour-bait.
He collected the trapped rats in the first phase at 9.00 pm at night and then in the morning catching 30 to 40 rats daily.
On a single day he has a record of catching 344 rats. He said he has killed at least 50,000 rats during last ten-year.
Muktar Molla said, once he worked as day labourer and collected paddy as daily wages from the employers. One morning he noticed the collected paddy he kept on the floor of his room was all taken away by rats. From then he started to kill rats.
He said none of the owners of the land forbid him to catch rats rather all encourage him.
Zafar Pramanik, farmer of Chalk Haripur village said the exceptional work of Muktar Molla of killing rats to save crops has created a sensation in the area.
Fazlur Rahman, another farmer of the village informed, Muktar had killed 56 rats from his field recently.
Momrez Ali, agriculture officer of Bagatipara, said the government encourages farmers to save their crops from rodent attacks by observing Rat Killing Week every year.
Muktar Mollah has earned a reputation in many villages as an expert rat killer. His voluntary work of saving crop field by killing rats is undoubtedly a laudable effort.
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