Rat Infestation Hits 353 Hectares of Rice Fields Across 24 Regions in Central Java

A rat infestation has attacked 353 hectares of rice crops in 24 regencies and cities across Central Java since June 2026. Although it has not yet disrupted overall rice production, the infestation has caused a decline in harvest yields in several areas and raised concerns among farmers. Head of the Central Java Agriculture and Livestock Service (Distanak), Defrancisco Dasilva Tavares, said the dry season is one of the factors triggering the increase in rat pest attacks on rice fields. “Rat pests have attacked 353 hectares of agricultural land in 24 areas of Central Java since last June. This condition is influenced by the dry season, which makes rats more aggressive in attacking rice plants,” Defrancisco said on Wednesday (8/7). According to him, although the affected area is quite significant, the condition has not yet impacted Central Java’s overall rice production. However, farmers whose land is affected are still suffering losses due to reduced harvest yields. The Central Java Provincial Government has prepared a number of control measures, ranging from the distribution of pesticides to the use of barn owls as natural predators of rats. “The government has started distributing pesticides to prevent the pest from spreading further. We will also assist in the deployment of barn owls as natural predators to suppress the rat population,” he said. Data from the Central Java Distanak records Pemalang Regency as the area with the most extensive infestation, covering 62 hectares. This is followed by Purworejo Regency with 46 hectares, Grobogan 39 hectares, Banyumas 33 hectares, and Boyolali 24 hectares. Meanwhile, other areas recorded infestation areas between 5 and 10 hectares. Defrancisco urged farmers to immediately report pest attacks to the local agriculture service so that handling can be carried out more quickly. “We ask farmers whose land is attacked to report immediately to the agriculture service in their respective areas so that handling can be done early and does not spread,” he said. At the farmer level, the rat infestation is beginning to cause concern as it occurs while some regions are entering the dry season. In addition to carrying out communal control through mass rat hunting, some farmers have taken extreme measures by installing electric barriers around the rice fields to deter the pests, which are active at night. “We were forced to install electric barriers because we were worried the rice plants would be completely destroyed by rats, leading to crop failure,” said Sarmo (59), a farmer in Grobogan Regency. Kurniyah, a farmer in Taman District, Pemalang Regency, admitted the rat infestation has forced farmers to work harder to hunt the pests. Despite this, several plots of rice fields still suffered damage and could not be harvested. Meanwhile, Sugandi, a farmer in Semarang Regency, said rat attacks almost always appear every dry season. Therefore, farmers routinely hold mass rat hunts to suppress the pest population. “Together with hundreds of farmers, we immediately carry out a mass hunt every time an infestation appears so it does not spread further,” said Wiwit, a farmer in Banyubiru, Semarang Regency.