At this time, the main rice crop is in the late tillering stage. This is also the time when rats cause the most damage if concentrated and simultaneous rat extermination measures are not implemented.
In some isolated cases, farmers still use electricity to kill rats.
Cultivating rice on one hectare of land, Mr. Nguyen Van Giap, from Tan Tien commune (Hung Ha district), spends a considerable amount of money buying plastic sheeting to enclose the field in order to prevent rats from damaging the rice crop. At this time, when the early rice crop is forming panicles and preparing to flower, draining the water to allow the rice to grow deeper and prevent lodging at the end of the season is also when rats cause severe damage.
Mr. Giap said: "I use plastic sheeting to surround the rice fields and apply manual methods to regularly catch and kill rats, thus limiting the damage caused by rats. However, every few days I have to go to the fields to check. If I find rats in the fields, I have to gather up the withered yellow rice leaves that the rats have chewed through, and at the same time check the plastic sheeting, set traps, and bait again."
This year marks the second time the Tan Tien Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative has contracted with a company to exterminate rats in the An Nhan village fields, at a cost of 100,000 VND per sao (approximately 1000 square meters) per year.
Mr. Tran Van Chinh, Director of the Cooperative, said: "Each season, the company organizes the application of biological bait at fixed times. During the rice growing process, farmers inspect their fields, and if they discover rats damaging the crops, they notify the Cooperative. The Cooperative then informs the company to organize rat extermination. The company guarantees effectiveness and also compensates farmers for areas damaged by rats, so people actively participate. From the pilot model in An Nhan village, we will summarize and expand it to the entire commune in the future. For areas that have not yet signed contracts with the company, the Cooperative organizes biological bait application campaigns and simultaneously launches a manual rat extermination campaign across the fields."
Rat damage is quite common in some rice and crop fields in various localities, especially in areas near villages, dikes, roads, and industrial zones. According to the agricultural sector, the significant increase in the rat population is mainly due to the increasingly complex effects of climate change, as well as diversified farming practices and continuous crop rotation, which create favorable conditions for rats to thrive. The decline of natural predators such as snakes, cats, and owls also contributes to this problem. Rat control and eradication efforts have not been organized on a large scale or comprehensively; many localities contract with companies for rat extermination, but due to the fragmented nature of the fields, the effectiveness has not met expectations. Furthermore, despite warnings from relevant authorities and local governments, some areas still resort to using electricity to kill rats.
To implement measures to eradicate rats and protect production, the agricultural sector has developed a campaign plan; directed specialized units to coordinate with localities to strengthen propaganda about the dangers and harmful effects of rats; guided people on effective rat control methods; assigned officials to participate in inspection teams to monitor the business and use of pesticides; and strictly dealt with the business and use of rat poisons not on the list of those permitted for use in Vietnam.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated: Rats are one of the most difficult pests to control due to their living habits and rapid reproduction rate. Therefore, to minimize damage caused by rats, localities should eradicate them early in each production season; focusing on, regularly, continuously, and community-based efforts. It is especially important to clearly identify peak periods to launch simultaneous rat eradication campaigns for maximum effectiveness. In the main cropping season, localities launch campaigns from the end of July to the end of August, which is before the rat breeding season. The agricultural sector recommends that localities implement a combination of rat eradication measures, focusing on manual methods such as digging, catching, and trapping rats, using natural predators of rats, and using biological rat poison; absolutely no electricity, banned pesticides, or pesticides not on the permitted list should be used to kill rats.
In addition, regularly mowing embankments, clearing bushes, minimizing mounds of earth, and removing crop residues before planting and after harvesting... will limit places where rats can live; planting crops that are compact and harvested within a single season will help to prolong the food source and habitat for rats.
Ngan Huyen
Source: https://baothaibinh.com.vn/tin-tuc/4/205664/dong-loat-cac-bien-phap-diet-chuot-bao-ve-san-xuat
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