GENERAL SANTOS CITY—Agriculture personnel in South Cotabato have stepped up their interventions against the continuing rodent or rat infestation in the parts of the province that already destroyed around 1,200 hectares (ha) of agricultural crops.
Justina Navarrete, acting head of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (Opag), said on Thursday the infestation mainly affected corn and palay areas in the municipalities of Tantangan, Polomolok, Tupi and Tampakan.
In Tantangan alone, she said an estimated 1,000 ha of crops have been damaged as a result of massive rodent attacks.
The official said around 49 ha of crops, mostly corn, were also destroyed in Tampakan and the remaining damaged areas were reported in Tupi and Polomolok towns.
“This is mainly due to the continuing dry spell. The rats have been coming out and invading our farmlands as their usual food sources have become scarce,” she said in a radio interview.
In Tampakan, for instance, she said there were reported rodent attacks on fruit-bearing trees and even coconuts in the area.
Navarrete said they have also received reports of infestations of black bugs and army worms in farm areas in Banga and Surallah towns, and in Koronadal City.
She said they are currently evaluating the value of the crop damages as a result of the infestation, which is seen to worsen in the coming weeks due to the prevailing dry spell triggered by the El Niño.
In September last year, Opag reported crop damages of around P21.6 million due to the rat infestation in nearly 900 ha of corn and palay areas in the province.
Navarrete said they also provided rodenticides to local farmers in the affected areas to help contain the rat infestation.
Meantime, aside from the pest attacks, the dry spell has also continued to wreak havoc on the province’s farm areas.