Thousands of hectares of crops in Huaphan province have been destroyed by rodents, worms and green leafhoppers, according to a report from the provincial authorities.
More than 2,600 hectares of wet season rice, upland ric e, sweetcorn and soybean were destroyed or damaged, according to an employee of the provincial agriculture section, Ms Lounthong Sivongphan.
She said that this month, the pests and insects had spread through every district in the province.
The provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department is now asking for funding from province leaders and the government to buy pesticides, insecticides and some spray equipment to help the farmers, said Ms Lounthong.
“More crops will be damaged if we don't help farmers to contain the outbreak,” she said.
Some farmers are using traditional methods to kill the rats by using traps and lights to catch them at night, but these methods are largely ineffective due to the sheer numbers of the pests.
Ms Lounthong said the outbreak poses a significant problem for provincial farmers, as most people in this area rely on agriculture and farming as their livelihood.
Last year, Huaphan was also affected by the problem but not to the same extent as this year, she said.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is now sending technical staff to join provincial authorities in solving the problem.
The government, especially the ministry, will also try to provide assistance, said Deputy Director General of the Department of Agriculture, Mr Boun-oum Douangphachan.
The government has approved about 4.6 billion kip to the department to help the victims.
“We have to submit detailed plans to the government before receiving any money to help farmers,” Mr Boun-oum said.
Earlier this year, many hectares of rice in Huaphan province were affected, both by flooding and irregular rainfall, said Ms Lounthong.
This wet season, the provincial authorities have encouraged farmers to plant about 12,000 hectares of rice, though only 11,000 hectares were planted due to light rainfall.
There has since been adequate rainfall for planting but the seedlings are past their ideal planting stage, she said.
