Cagayan Valley farmers report rat infestations

BAYOMBONG, Philippines – Agricultural products have reportedly been pillaged by rats in at least three provinces in northern Luzon. Farmers in Cagayan, Isabela and Quirino said the infestation has started as early as November last year when rodents normally sweep down on farmlands in search of food during the cold season. In Cagayan, Gov. Alvaro Antonio said he had already sought the help of the Agriculture Department to employ measures to avert destruction of agricultural products in the towns of Sanchez Mira, Gonzaga and Piat. An official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) assured the public that rat infestation is a common occurrence and mitigating solutions have been in place as early as December. “We have already come up with interventions because this is not uncommon. Rats do come down on rice fields during the cold season but they don’t really do much damage,” said Dr. Andrew Villacorta, DA regional technical director. Citing reports from the field, Villacorta said pack rats have been sighted within a total of 27,000 hectares of farmland. He however added that only about one to five percent of the area had been actually affected by rat infestation. “We noticed however that the population of rats have increased but we have already dispensed free pesticides to the affected towns to combat the problem,” he added. Of the 41 towns that reported rat infestations, 24 are in Isabela, six in Quirino; six in Cagayan, and six in Nueva Vizcaya. - Floro Taguinod, GMANews.TV