(19 Sep 1999) Spanish/Nat
A plague of rats in northern Nicaragua is threatening to destroy the year's harvest.
The government has sent representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture along with experts to the region to try and find ways of reducing the numbers of the rodents.
The problem is such that many villages are now facing hunger, with their only source of food destroyed by the plague.
Siuna in northern Nicaragua is a town with 36-thousand inhabitants.
Located 350 kilometres north of the capital Managua, the community is poor, consisting mostly of farmers.
Last year Hurricane Mitch wreaked havoc in this region, destroying the homes and livelihoods of thousands of people, including Siuna.
But now another threat has arrived here which is equally as destructive - rats.
The plague has led authorities to declare a state of red alert in the region.
Harvests of rice, beans and corn are destroyed, leaving many in the area with little or no food.
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"I had crops of corn, rice and beans, and it's all destroyed. We have nothing, we have hardly anything to eat. I should be harvesting another crop of beans in September or October time, but they are slowly eating it all and I am worried (that I will be left with nothing). This is why I am here, to try and buy some poison to destroy them."
SUPER CAPTION: Fransisco Reyes, local farmer
As the numbers of rats continue to increase, authorities now fear the spread of diseases such as rabies and typhoid, which are carried by the rodent.
Rivers are said to carry infections from the urine of the rats.
But for many here the rivers are the only source of water.
In response to the growing problem, the Nicaraguan government has joined forces with animal inspectors in setting up a campaign aimed at educating communities in ways of tackling the plague.
Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture have inspected several communal farms in the Siuna area.
Local farmers have shown experts the extent of the damage caused by the infestation.
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"Here you have an example of what these rates do to corn."
SUPER CAPTION: Fransisco Reyes, local farmer
Hundreds of boxes of rat poison have been sent to the Siuna community to try to control its rat population.
But officials say supplies of rat poison in the area are already showing signs of running low.
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"We are beginning to see a shortage in this product (rat poison), proof of the extent of damage that these rats have been causing. We would say that ten thousand farmers in the Siuna area have been affected. Some have not been as badly affected as others- but all have experienced losses in income."
SUPER CAPTION: Cesar Campos, Ministry of Agriculture official
With the year's harvest destroyed in many villages, hunger is fast spreading.
And with the number of rats rising at an alarming rate, the problem looks set to continue.
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