KOCHI -- For some time now, farmers in the southern Indian state of Kerala have been wary of giant African snails, BBC reports.

The invasive species are not only known to eat crops, but can also turn to cement and stucco on houses if it is readily available. And they also cause diseases in humans.

So, a village has come up with a new way of tackling the crisis - it is offering lottery tickets to the top 10 'snail catchers'.

With their eyes on the prize - a winning ticket can fetch 120m rupees ($1.6m) - farmers are now racing to catch the pests.