Arnold Geronimo told The STAR yesterday that the affected ricefields have palay already in booting stage. There are about 1,000 hectares here planted with rice.
There is a lateral canal operated by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) which has irregular water supply, he said.
A hectare of irrigated riceland can yield 100 cavans of palay, but without water it can only yield about 30 cavans, he added.
But the problem was worsened because rats, as big as six inches, started to infest the area, the first such incident to happen here, Geronimo said.
The affected barangays are Sta. Ines, Cabanbanan, Oraan East, Oraan West, Mermer, Parian, Matulong, Baginay, Inamotan and Lelemaan.
In the beginning, farmers ate the rats which they consider as exotic food, cooked either as adobo or deep fried. But with their increasing number, farmers started to become worried. The rats eat the palay panicle or sometimes its stem, causing the plant to die.
Geronimo said he is optimistic that the problem will be under control through the help of the Regional Pest Diseases Control Center based in San Fernando City, La Union.
He added that the local municipal agriculturist office has also undertaken measures like assigning an agricultural technician who conducts regular monitoring of the infested areas.
The barangay and municipal councils had also allocated funds on top of the assistance given by the regional. Massive summer rat control campaign is also ongoing.