Lamka, May 17: With the main objective of spreading awareness on prevention of rodent menace in the light of impending bamboo flowering in Manipur, special training programmes for the farmers in the valley area has begun from today. The first in the series of training programmes to be conducted at different parts of the State was held at Takhel in Imphal East district with Agriculture Minister Ph Parijat Singh as chief guest.

Speaking as one of the resource persons, Assistant professor of Department of Entomology, Central Agriculture University Dr Kh Ibohal Singh informed that are around 100 different species of rodent in India.

He said a pair of fully grown male and female can produce upto 800 litters in a year.

It is estimated that the population of rat in India is around 1800 million and the figure might go up to 4000 million by 2020.The quantity of food required by one rat is just about 30 grams but it has the potential of causing destruction of about 6 to 10 kgs of food items, Dr Ibohal explained.

Explaining why the rat relishes flowers of bamboo and their population increase manifold in the event of flowering ofthe tallest grass species, Dr Ibohal said protein content in the seeds of bamboo flowers is same obtained from paddy and this not only help in their rapid growth, but also in increasing fertility.

Dr Ibohal further informed that there are 53 varieties of bamboos growing in Manipur.

According to the survey report of the Forest Survey of India conducted in 1991, total area of land in Manipur where bamboo grows is 3691.77 sq km.

Among hill districts, bamboo is grown abundantly in Tamenglong and Churachandpur districts, followed by Chandel and Jiribam area.

After the recent phenomenon of bamboo flowering witnessed on Utang and Liwa varieties, there is impending fear that similar affect would fall on bamboo variety locally known as Moubiwa, he informed.

The first incident of mass bamboo flowering in India took place in Mizoram in 1864 on Utang variety.

Other places in North East India where similar phenomenon have been recorded are Garo hills of Meghalaya (1920-21), Nagaland (1929-30), Manipur (1954-55), North Cachar district of Assam (1958) and East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh (1991).Since the experts have predicated recurrence of bamboo flowering on Moubiwa in Manipur during June-July this year, the resource person stressed on the collective effort of Forest, Agriculture, Horticulture Departments and NGOs for taking up necessary preventive measures.

Apart from proposing cutting down of bamboo groove and taking up Jhum plantation in their place along with cultivation of Ginger, Dr Ibohal, advised the people to restrain from killing owl, squirrel, mongoose, hawk, etc as these birds contribute in reducing the rodent population.

Associate Professor of Department of Soil Science and Agri Chemistry (CAU) Dr A Herojit Singh and Associate Professor of Department of Agronomy of the University Dr L Nabachandra Singh were also the resource persons of the training programme.

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