Agricom.id, JAKARTA - Ministry of agriculture quickly responded the news from District of Bojonegoro about the danger using electricity to control the rats in the paddy fields.

Rat is one main plant pest organism in the food plantations. The attacks could make the farmers busy and there would be massive loss. These make the farmers do anything to vanish it. Sometimes the farmers did the dangerous controls.

Head of Plantation, Food, and Horticulture, Plantation Agency, District of Bojonegoro, Zaenal Fanani emphasized that for many years, his side forbids using rat trap by using electricity. The agency gave solutions to control the pest. “But many still use the rat traps using electricity. The farmers thought that it is the instant way to kill rats rather than using toxic (rodentisida),” he said, Tuesday (20/10), as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

In this very short time, the agency would educate the farmers about the danger using the rat traps in electricity. Besides, his side would socialize about the long term control.

“We also broadcasted about the rat control by radio, socialized to the villagers, and through the field officers,” he said. To vanish the pests, he continued, his side provided tools and explained the ways to use, such as, the smoking, using owls and its cage, and toxic (rodentisida) since 2016.

Director of Food Plantation Protection, General Directorate of Food Plantation, Ministry of Agriculture, Edy Purnawan told that it is better to control the rats in the fields by using the safe ways but still effective, and efficient, such as, making the cages for owls (Tyto alba) as the natural enemy of the rats. The farmers could vanish the rats together before planting.

“To be more effective, the control could use the hunting dogs. They could vanish the holes around the paddy fields by using gas, carbide, or sulfur. As the other alternative, the control could use the toxic for rats (rodentisida), such as, the bait which is put or heap to be blown up in the active holes of the rats,” he said.

Edy thought that the successful key to control rats should be done in the wider areas together. It should not depend on one control only. “But it should be done together in the wider areas within more than one strategy which is done together and collectively,” he said.

Those who still implement the dangerous ways to control the rats should be well educated to change their ways in safer ways.

“We would tell every field officer and other officers, such as, counselors to educate them again and again to implement the safe control, harmless for anyone but effective and efficient still,” Edy mentioned.

General Director of Food Plantation, Ministry of Agriculture, Suwandi emphasized that the rat traps using electricity is not allowed. Ministry of agriculture never recommends the dangerous rat control.

“We never recommend the rat traps within electricity. This is dangerous both for the farmers or others who may do something around the paddy field. We never allow this,” he said.

Ministry of agriculture led by Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) told that to secure the food production from the pest attacks, it is better that every officer in ministry of agriculture from the central to the regional and the farmers implement the smart and safe control.  (A2)