Rice and Crops Destroyed by Rat Infestation in Sumpra Bum Township

Pajau Media

August 26, 2025

In Sumpra Bum Township of Kachin State and along the Putao road, farmlands and hillside plantations have been ravaged by a rat infestation, with rats destroying nearly all the rice and crops planted by local farmers, leaving nothing to be harvested, according to a local resident.

“Aawngja Yang and Hkadu Yang hillsides have been hit by rats, destroying all the rice we planted. The paddy grain hasn’t even matured yet. Last year, the area had a bamboo flowering and dying event, and now this year we are facing rat infestations,” the resident explained.

The rat outbreak reportedly began in late July, and because the rodents have eaten through the paddy fields and other legume crops, entire farmlands have been left barren.

At a time when armed conflicts remain intense, politics unstable, and rice prices sharply increasing, the arrival of a rat plague has left local farmers extremely worried for their livelihoods.

“Given the political situation and the rising cost of rice, this rat outbreak has made us deeply anxious, we don’t know how we will get through this,” the resident added.

The affected areas include farmlands along the Putao–Myitkyina road and along the Mali Hka River, where crop fields cultivated by displaced villagers are also reported to have been completely destroyed by rats.

According to locals, while rat outbreaks have occurred in some areas of Sumpra Bum Township in past years, this year’s infestation is far more severe, devastating fields to the point of leaving no crops to harvest. Besides the rats, other types of crop damaging pests have also been observed.

News– Zaw