Thousands of hectares of rice field in Mekong Delta provinces have been infested by rats, which could serious affect the winter-spring crop.

Tra Vinh province has been the hardest hit, according to its Agriculture and Rural Development Department.

Damage thus far has been more than 1,500 ha of rice fields, about 30 percent of the cultivation area, according to officials in the province’s Chau Thanh district.
Rats have migrated to the province from other areas that have been flooded, officials said.

Another cause behind the migration is the uncontrolled hunting of cats and snakes, which has allowed the rat population to grow.

For years, responsible agencies have not taken preventive measures.

Nguyen Manh Thai, head of Chau Thanh’s Plant Protection Division, has urged farmers to spray pesticide near mouse holes and bushes, or flood the holes in rice fields.

Fifteen years ago, provincial authorities carried out a campaign to purchase rats’ tails, awarding cash promptly to those with the most tails.

Farmers have suggested that the province reinstitute the measure, which had been effective./.