In the dark of night, a species of snail is eating vegetable plants in the fields, stirring curiosity among local people.

The snails are causing extensive damage by eating leaves, the soft bark of trees, fruit and vegetable plants. This is happening in the Barab area of Kaliakair upazila, Gazipur.

A visit found a species of snail around the house of Akhtar Hossain in Barab. The snails have white stripes on their shells. By day they hide on house walls, on various trees and under tall grass. At night they come out in swarms and eat leafy greens and vegetable plants in the fields.

The snails are long in shape. They have been seen in large numbers in the area for the past two to three months; before that, only one or two were seen at a time. They are damaging everything from vegetables to various trees. They barely move during the day, but after dusk they are seen in greater numbers around houses and on roads. Some shells are 2 to 3 inches long, and when moving the snails stretch to 3 to 4 inches.

Snails of this species, big and small, are spreading through the area, causing a stir. Hearing the news, people are coming from far away to see them.

Barab resident Akhtar Hossain said the snails have been noticed for the past few months. There are fewer by day but more at night. During the day they stay on mango, jackfruit and banana trees, other trees, under grass and on walls. "If we grow vegetables around the house, the snails eat them. That is why I no longer grow vegetables. No one can say where so many snails came from. They are increasing day by day," he said.

A young man named Dewan Roni said local people often kill the snails on sight. "Snails like these were never seen anywhere in this area before, and I have never seen snails moving about on dry land like this. But I have seen shells like these sold with things written on them at shops on Cox's Bazar beach."

Kaliakair upazila agriculture officer Saiful Islam said no one had reported snails eating and damaging vegetables before, and the matter was completely new to him. But when snails move through soil, it increases soil fertility and lets air into the soil, which is good for farming. He said the matter would be looked into.

Md Mortuj Ali, deputy director of the Gazipur district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said he did not know about the matter. As snails come under the Department of Fisheries, it would be able to say more.

Kaliakair upazila fisheries officer Md Salimullah said he had not heard of such a thing before. Snails are not harmful to people, but eating and destroying vegetables is certainly a loss for farmers. As farming is involved, agriculture officials would be better able to comment, he said.

Source: Banglanews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.