Port Blair, Sept. 14: Paddy farmers in Subhash Gram were facing serious problems due to rat population in their field. The team of Out Reach Centre, CARI established with the support of NABARD at Diglipur and All India Network Project on Rodent Control surveyed the field area, located the rat burrows, placed the rat traps to minimize the loss due to rodents.  To sensitize farmers on the rodent awareness and management information a two days training programme was organised by Out Reach Centre in collaboration with All India Network Project on Rodent Control at Subhash Gram of Diglipur during 11th-12th September 2012 on the request of the farmers and the Gram Pradhan.  

Gram Pradhan of Subhash Gram, Shri Singharam as chief guest inaugurated the training and requested the villagers for their active participation to learn rodent pest management techniques in paddy crop. He  appreciated the efforts of the Director, Dr. S. Dam Roy for initiating timely action through ORC, Diglipur and Principal Investigator of AINP on Rodent Control, for the benefit of the paddy growing farmers in the area. 

The course started with a demonstration on how to set up rat traps in the rice field and household area. The team identified that rats are very important factor for limiting their rice production as 4 specimens of rats were also trapped from the field and shown to the farmers.  Individual farmers indicated about 5-10% losses in rice was due to rats.

Dr. Ajanta Birah in her lecture described that rodent attack in paddy starts from nursery till harvest and storage. In vegetative phase damage starts when the plant forms 3-4 nodes and the damage continues in the reproductive phase till harvest. Lectures was also given on the biology of the rodent population, followed by detailed methods of rodent management including bund trimming and weed free cultivation to minimise rodent menace, employment of indigenous trap and in high infestation, application of rodenticide such as 0.005% Bromodioline bait or 2 % Zinc phosphide bait.  On the concluding day rodents baits were provided to the farmers for placing in the fields.

 A total of 35 farmers (8 female and 27 male) participated in two days training program which was conducted under the plan and guidance of Dr. S.K. Zamir Ahmed, Senior Scientist and Coordinator, ORC.