Tabanan regency's agricultural agency and farmers have gone on a rat extermination campaign for the last two months to contain the pest population.
Tabanan Agriculture Agency head, Gde Made Sukawijaya, said Thursday the extermination of rats was conducted on a daily basis.
"Each day, we hunt rats at different subak *traditional farmers association*," he said.
Sukawijaya estimated the extermination campaign had killed more than 50,000 rats.
"And the mass hunt hasn't even reached all the subak in the regency," he stated, adding that there were 223 subak across Tabanan.
Known as the island's rice region, Tabanan has more than 200,000 hectares of rice fields with an average productivity level of nearly 6 tons per hectare.
The rat infestation, which started in 2008, is estimated to have caused a decrease of 0.25 percent in the regency's rice productivity.
"That's because rats do not eat the rice husk, instead they cut and damage the stalks, as if they used the stalks to sharpen their teeth," he said.
The extermination campaign was carried out after a harvest.
Sukawijaya said rats bred fast, claiming that a pair of adult rats could give birth to a population of 1,000 rats in six months.
"The absence of the rats' natural predators, such as snakes and birds of prey, has led to a significant increase in the rat population," he added.
Besides the drive to exterminate rats, he admitted, the agency was also preparing to launch a fumigation campaign to eradicate the surging population of rodents.
"We could also use a toxic substance to kill the rats. However, we are still prioritizing methods that will not harm the environment," he added.
The Tabanan administration is currently preparing a religious ritual to cremate the killed rats. The ritual, which will be held on July 17, is believed to pacify the rat population and stop the infestation.
