indonesian farmer's story
crop failure due to rat II attack
Farmers from Gembong Village, Babat Subdistrict, Lamongan Regency, East Java, can only resign. Because sorghum plants that are farmed can sometimes get results turned out to have to fail the harvest again because of the attack of rat pests.
Although the seeds of the versatile plant still looked young he had to harvest it early. Whereas the normal harvest period of plants with the Latin name Sorghum bocolor is 80-100 days.
In the land measuring 100 square meters, he initially claimed to be able to get a harvest of 8 quintals.
However, due to the attack of rat pests the income decreased by 5 times, remaining only 2 quintals. Not the first time, the unfortunate fate he felt already three seasons.
“If left alone until old age then even out messing with rats. Although heavy but it must be how again, this rat pest until now still cannot be controlled,”, said the man who also served as the Head of Public Affairs of the local Village, Wednesday (20/10/2021).
The threat of crop failure was also felt by Sukardi (45), another farmer. He said the sorghum growing season in these three seasons is the toughest for farmers.
He claimed this rat infestation occurred even when new farmers entered the growing season. Rats attack the stems of sorghum so that the growth cannot be perfect, and when harvested the results become little.
Handling Not Sekremak
The farmers have tried their best to repel the rats that hit. However, from the various efforts made it still failed, and rats are still rampant. As a result of this rat attack many sorghum farmers who lost millions to tens of millions of rupiah, depending on the small size of the land cultivated.
Suoko (46), Chairman of Sarwani Farmers Group, Sambangan Village, Babat District said, for the prevention of rat pests from the government has actually provided assistance in the form of rat eradication drugs.
But because at the level of the farmer is still not in unison in handling, so the rats are still more and more there. In addition, from the combined group of farmers have also bought fire bullets for farmers in eradicating rats. However, the rat pests have not subsided.
“Season is still good, some farmers can still harvest. Lha five years ago even no results at all,” said the father of two children.
Not only sorghum, in his village, continued the husband of Karti, rat pests also attack corn crops (Zea Mays subsp.mays) and rice (Oryza sativa). Worse, the rats can attack the sorghum plant in one night.
He also felt surprised how many rats came so quickly that it could tear apart plants that had been treated for weeks. As a result of the pest attack there are farmers who can only harvest half of the previous results, or even some who can not harvest it at all.
The harvest like this, said Suoko, let alone be profitable, the capital of the former tanampun can not be covered. Especially in its operation in addition to being worked on alone also uses labor wages. If you rely on laborers, the harvest is also used up for wages.
Because it is feared that this rat pest attack continues to occur, according to him today many farmers are forced to harvest sorghum early. Because rat pests usually do attack plants of all ages, even if it is ready to be harvested.
“When the stock is a little that the price of cakul so cheaper. Unlike other commodities that stock a little expensive,” said the dimpled man. When the harvest is abundant, in the wet perkilonya sorghum from farmers it costs around Rp3,000-3,500. When the harvest is a little price drops to Rp2,000-2,500 per kilo.
Must Be Done Continually
Rats have a different biological character than other pests such as insects and mollusks. Therefore, the handling of rat pests in the field needs to be done with a special strategy and is relatively different from the handling of pests from insect groups.
Edy Purwanto (48), Field Agricultural Extension of Babat District explained, from the local government has often provided drug assistance for the handling of rat pests to farmers. Even in the District itself has appealed to all village heads in its territory to set aside the Village Fund Budget (ADD) to establish an owl house.
Giving, per 10 hectares of land must be made one owl house. “Only if this way we can expect 2-3 new years there is a owl. While this is only running 1 year,” he said.
The control of these rat pests, he said, cannot be done for just a few moments. It takes time that is continuous and gradual, in the sense that it takes a large cost and a long time.
Although in some villages have often done the eradication of rats together. But it is considered not effective, because it is not done simultaneously.
“So the rat is migrating from one village to another. If it is only done in one village while other villages do not do the same, the rats will come back again,” said the father of two children.
For that, according to him, the handling of rat pests must be done together, as widely as possible in unison and compact, at least instructed at the District level. Because in the night this rat can walk 2 kilometers, following the plants in the farmer's field.
Although in some villages have often done the eradication of rats together. But it is considered not effective, because it is not done simultaneously.
“So the rat is migrating from one village to another. If it is only done in one village while other villages do not do the same, the rats will come back again,” said the father of two children.
For that, according to him, the handling of rat pests must be done together, as widely as possible in unison and compact, at least instructed at the District level. Because in the night this rat can walk 2 kilometers, following the plants in the farmer's field.Hama species of conch, rats and birds, he said, became a predator that is currently being faced by farmers, not least farmers in Cinunuk Village.
Obstacles do not stop when the rice is still early age, when it grows and is ready to harvest pests are still often coming to damage the rice.
"The time of planting the conch, the time of the growth of the mouse, the time of the rat became the same as the bird," he explained.
Although it can use drugs, but Ujang worried that snail pests do not die when already sprayed using the drug. "But if the use of the drug sometimes likes to be cheated, just sprayed it is already rich who died, but once given the water again like life again, so now mah has been taken by hand only," clearly he.Determine Your Choice 336 days to the 2024 Election Kompas.com Regional Farmer's Story in Bandung Regency Struggling to Fail Harvest due to Attacked Hama Kompas.com, February 2, 2023, 16:43 WIB View Photo Author: Bandung Contributor, M. Elgana Mubarokah | Editor: Teuku Muhammad Valdy Arief Ujang Handling said, to keep the new rice from snail pests, his party chose to keep watch every day and take the conch using his hands. Read the news without advertising. Join Kompas.com+ It is done to ensure that the conch has been kept away from the new rice. "To anticipate the conch there is a cure, Rp 100 thousand a bottle of the size of one liter and a half," said Ujang. Read also: Women Farmers in Bengkulu Killed Dibacok, Allegedly Killed Thief Petai Latest Video Dikasih Envelopes and Meet President Jokowi, A Number of Kebumen Citizens Confess Like Dreams Despite being able to use drugs, and, but Ujang is worried that the snail pest does not die when it has been sprayed using drugs. "But if the use of the drug sometimes likes to be cheated, just sprayed it is already rich who died, but once given the water again like life again, so now mah has been taken by hand only," obviously he. Read the news without advertising. Join Kompas.com+ Meanwhile, to deal with rat pests, Ujang and other fellow farmers were forced to reduce the quantity of water in each plot of rice fields. This is done, so that rat pests go to find other food, because the water stock in the rice field has been dry deliberately. In addition, the farmers are also assisted by the presence of snake predators that hunt rats in the rice fields. However, still the number of snake predators in his rice field is not able to compensate for the number of rat pests that exist. "The mouse must be that eating must be close to the water, simply to drink, well we dry the water in the rice field. When it comes to snakes, there are many here as well, but there is no balance in numbers" he explained.
