'Rats damage around 15 lakh tonnes food crops a year'
Speakers at a function here yesterday said rats damage food crops of 12-15 lakh metric tons every year hampering the government's food security effort.
Terming rat the number one pest to the food grains as well as the vegetables, they underscored the need for involving more people, including schoolboys and girls, in rat killing drive.
They made this observation while addressing the inaugural session of a regional rat killing drive and prize distribution ceremony among the laudable contributors organised by the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) at Paba upazila auditorium.
Lawmaker Meraj Uddin Mollah spoke at the programme as the chief guest, while Paba Upazila Chairman Mokbul Hossain spoke as the special guest.
Chaired by DAE Additional Director Rabindra Kumar Majumder, the session was also addressed by Regional Deputy Director Akhterul Afghan, Deputy Director, Rajshahi Braja Hari Das, Deputy Director, Bogra Rustam Ali Mondal, Paba Upazila Agriculture Officer Ansar Ali and prize recipient farmer Sonatan Hembrom.
The speakers said the present government has been working relentlessly for the development of farmers and agriculture as well, urging all concerned to supplement the government effort collectively.
A pair of rats can give birth to about 3,000 offspring yearly and the rat is the individual and national problem. So, the rat-killing drive is not harmful to the ecological balance, they added.
They urged the field-level officials and staffs concerned to motivate all the members of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) schools and others concerned to take part in the drive so that it could be succeeded.
On the occasion, eight farmers, three DAE officials and an education institute were given prizes as recognition of their contribution to the rat-killing drive.
Comments