A huge increase in rodent populations is seriously harming rice and other crops in Fukushima Town, which is in southern Hokkaido of Japan. The situation has become so dire that supply chains are unable to replenish in time, shelves are entirely empty, and home centers are finding it difficult to meet the demand for rat traps.
According to News on Japan,many farmers have had to replant entire fields, so the cost burden extends beyond pest control. Cucumbers and strawberries cultivated in greenhouses have also suffered significant damage, according to another farmer.
Now, experts are trying to figure out what caused the abrupt increase in rodent populations. The Hokkaido Research Organization believes that the big crop of beech nuts in the regions south of Kuromatsunai last year may have been the decisive reason.
