A plague of rats ruins rice crops in Indramayu

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.