TN farmers demand restoration of rodent control scheme

Chennai, Dec 6 Farmers of the coastal delta districts of Tamil Nadu like Myladuthurai have demanded that the state agricultural department bring back the integrated rodent control scheme to check the rats that are destroying the crops.

Soundararajan, a farmer in Myladuthurai told : "After the incessant rains and water inundation during the past month, we somehow managed to save a part of our crop by draining out the water. However, we are facing the threat of rats that are coming out in large numbers to destroy our crops that are in the flowering stage."

The farmer who is cultivating paddy in 2.5 hectares of land said that in Komal, more than 50 farmers each having 1 to 5 hectares of land are jointly doing farming. He said that the farmers' are asking the state agriculture department to bring back the integrated rodent control scheme that was very useful to contain the rat menace.

However, agriculture department officials said that instead of using chemicals and poison to control the rats, it was better to use bird perches near farmlands. They feel that owls will devour the rats during night time.

However, farmers want the agriculture department to implement the integrated rodent control scheme as it was more effective.

M. Swaminathan, a farmer at Villupuram, told : "The threat of rats in large numbers is very real and containing this using bird perches and expecting the owls to feed on them is not a proper method. The agriculture department has to bring in the integrated rodent control scheme."

The integrated pest management scheme was used earlier by farmers by laying out poison cakes. The move was criticised by animal lovers and social activists as this was leading to the death of birds and other animals that were in no way connected with crop destruction.