Mizoram: Rodent surge from bamboo flowering sparks crop loss fears

Aizawl, Oct 1 (IANS) Amid the outbreak of African Swine Fever, killing over 9,400 pigs and affecting around 3,700 families across eight districts, Mizoram farmers are now reeling from severe crop losses caused by a surge in the rodent population triggered by bamboo flowering, officials said.

According to forest and agriculture department officials, a massive rodent outbreak linked to the flowering of bamboo species triggers famine concerns in Mizoram, which shares an inter-state border with Assam and Tripura and an international border with Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The flowering of a species of bamboo can lead to rodents appearing on the farmlands, where they eat the standing crops and rice stored in the granaries. There are concerns of a famine-like situation developing.

Mizoram has an agricultural-based economy with about 70 per cent of its population dependent on farming, including “Jhum’ (slash and burning method of cropping) farming.

An Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department official said that the infestation has largely hit 122 villages in four of the 11 districts, with around 4,000 families suffering immense losses as swarms of rats overran their fields.

The scale of the damage is staggering, with a total of over 1,737 hectares of paddy fields destroyed out of the state’s 6,869.954 hectares of cropping areas, he said.

The rats have destroyed not only paddy fields but also other vital crops such as maize, sugarcane, cow pea, ginger, eggplant, chilli, pumpkin, sesame, and cucumber in certain regions.

The official said that the department provided rodenticides and other poisonous chemicals to the farmers to curb the rodents’ menace, while the farmers used traditional methods such as slingshots and locally made traps -- ‘vaithang,’ ‘mangkhawng,’ and ‘thangchep’ to kill the rodents.

Officials requested the farmers to rotate between traps, chemical and other methods, as rodents often become ‘bait shy’ and will avoid the same bait after a few attempts.

To make poisoning more effective, village council leaders are advised to conduct mass poisoning operations in the paddy fields, the official stated.

Despite various efforts, the Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department faces significant challenges, as poor connectivity, a lack of adequate funds, and the monsoon rains have made it difficult to reach remote areas where farmers could benefit most from guidance and resources.

The department officials attributed the delayed reports from farmers and the affected areas, which led to crops being destroyed before the intervention to prevent crop loss or damage.

The rodent infestation has been reported from a large number of villages in Serchhip, Mamit, Lunglei, and Saitual districts. The phenomenon locally called ‘Thingtam’ is part of a rare natural cycle, occurring once every 45 to 48 years. The last major such occurrence of this bamboo flowering event was in 1977.

Mizoram also reported the rodent attack in 2007 and 2022, during which at least nine districts were slightly affected.

Experts said that the gregarious flowering of bamboo leads to a sudden food surplus, which accelerates rat population growth. However, the subsequent food shortage triggers a massive invasion of crops as the rats desperately search for sustenance.

“Thingtam” refers to a cyclical, large-scale famine in Mizoram that is caused by the mass flowering of specific bamboo species, leading to a subsequent population explosion of rats that ravage crops and stored grain.

Mizoram Agriculture Minister P.C. Vanlalruata earlier requested the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for special financial and technical assistance to support farmers affected by “Thingtam”.

In 1959, the Mizo Hills were devastated by a great famine known in Mizo history as ‘Mautam’ (famine). The cause of the famine was attributed to the flowering of bamboo, which consequently resulted in a rat population boom.

After eating up bamboo seeds, the rats turned towards crops and infested the huts and houses and became a plague to the villages. The havoc created by the rats was terrible, and very little of the grain was harvested.

For sustenance, many Mizos had to collect roots and leaves from the jungles. Others moved out to faraway places, while a considerable number died of starvation.

The formation of Mizoram, which was previously part of Assam, was also closely related to famine. The two-decade-long (1966 to 1986) insurgency spearheaded by the erstwhile underground Mizo National Front (MNF) under the leadership of Laldenga was triggered allegedly by the Centre’s negligence towards the plights of the Mizos caused by ‘mautam’ or famine.

The MNF signed a historic peace accord with the Centre in 1986, and Mizoram became the 23rd state of the country in 1987.

--IANS

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