A plague of rats ruins rice crops in Indramayu

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Indramayu, West Java

A plague of rats has infested hundreds of hectares of rice paddies in the West Java town of Indramayu, causing widespread crop failure and about Rp 1.3 billion (US$147,000) worth of damage.

Local farmers said on Monday they could not harvest at least 540 hectares of farmland, which had been decimated by rats.

The affected areas include the subdistricts of Sukra and Bongas in west Indramayu, with rice fields in three villages in Sukra -- Arjasari, Bugel and Patrol -- and two in Bongas -- Cipat and Bongas -- affected.

Data from the Indramayu agriculture office showed the Sukra area was the worst affected, with at least 373 of its total l2,296 hectares of rice fields suffering crop failure.

The age of the damaged rice in the villages was between 60 and 65 days, Sri said. Farmers usually harvest after three months of planting.

The crop failure caused about Rp 1.3 billion in material losses to local affected farmers, he said.

The rats in Sukra were believed to come from neighboring villages experiencing a drought when the affected farmers started to grow rice late last year.

His office had provided villagers with equipment to help fight the rats numbering in their thousands.