Posted on May, 10, 2022 at 08:49 am
Government recently announced a resurgence of the Fall Army Worm (FAW). By April 14, the pest had spread to 41 districts across the country, ravaging cereals such as maize, millet, and sorghum and pasture for livestock.
The pest could feed on more than 80 plant species and cause yield loss of about 75 percent, making it one of the most destructive crop pests. Notably, the pest prefers maize because it has big stems and leaves in which it can hide.
Controlling FAW is critical because cereals are a major source of food and income for most households. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), over 3.6 million households derive their livelihood from maize alone. Furthermore, Uganda’s foreign exchange earnings are at stake. In October - December 2021, Uganda exported maize and sorghum worth $38.1m (Shs135b) and $26.3m (about Shs93b) respectively, to the East African Community countries.
When FAW was first reported in Uganda in 2016, UBOS and the Food and Agriculture Organisation estimated that the invasion caused a yield loss of 450,000 metric tonnes, worth $192m (Shs685b) during the first cropping season of 2017.
The government spent over Shs4.5b to procure pesticides and undertake a mass sensitisation programme.
However, the use of pesticides was not effective since the pest persisted in some areas. The ineffectiveness is explained by challenges related to accessibility and affordability of the pesticide, knowledge of correct use/mixing, consistency of use and the possibility of the pesticide not reaching the pest during spraying. Also, the sensitisation programme had a low coverage.
Majority smallholder farmers could not afford to buy the pesticide, others could not mix the pesticide appropriately, given the high illiteracy rates.
Source: The Monitor