Rodents have been posing a problem to farmers who had taken up kuruvai’ paddy cultivation in parts of Lalgudi block. The crop has been raised on 4,874 hectares, with Lalgudi block accounting for a maximum of 3,215 hectares while Thuraiyur and other areas account for the balance 1,659 hectares.
Farmers said that the recent showers had come as a blessing for them as the crop has started registering appreciable growth. But, the showers had also brought a problem in the form of rat menace.
Realising the need for controlling rats, the Agriculture Department has planned to organise an awareness campaign among the farmers to destroy rats from the fields. Normally, the Department recommended use of zinc phosphate but it should be handled carefully and any negligence in washing hands would prove injurious to health. The Department has planned to conduct a campaign recommending the use of anti-coagulants which ensured safe disposal of rats, an official told The Hindu here on Thursday. The use of anti-coagulants along with rice flour or some eatables would attract the rats.
M. Muruganandam, a farmer of Koyyathoppe in Andanallur block said that the problem has come at a time when the crop was registering a fair growth. He had been availing the services of labourers who are skilled in catching rats.
The labourers said that they were fully aware of the movement of rats from the burrows to the fields. “We keep a close watch on the impressions of the claws of the rats,” they said.
