RATIN

Army Worm Outbreak Hits Zambezi Farmers Hard

Posted on February, 27, 2019 at 09:11 am


By Lugeretzia Kooper

THE outbreak of the fall army worm, which destroyed about 100 hectares of crops in the Zambezi region, has left many small- scale farmers in dismay.

The outbreak was first reported on 14 February in the Sacona, Kongola, Ngoma, Bukalo, Kasheshe and Musanga districts of the region.

In a statement, agriculture executive director Percy Misika had said the fall army worm was destroying crops that were in various stages of growth.

Yesterday, The Namibian spoke to Moscow Mawaya, one of the affected farmers from the Sijwa village, who claimed that about one and a half hectares of his maize crop had been infested, and he did not have pesticides to stop the army worm.

"I started noticing the presence of the army worm in January after we received some rains. Hopefully, the agriculture ministry will assist us with pesticides. If I leave it like this, I will suffer a significant loss this year as I will have nothing to harvest," Mawaya explained.

Another farmer, Bernard Shimwe from the Linyanti constituency told The Namibian yesterday that his maize was affected by both the army worm and a lack of rain.

"I ploughed six hectares of maize, but now it has all been attacked by the army worm. However, I am using pesticides. It seems to be working well. Hopefully, I will not lose a lot of maize," he said.

Misika stated that controlling the fall army worm is a challenge because they reproduce very fast, and in large numbers.

He added that they could migrate long distances and hide under leaves, as well as being resistant to some pesticides.

The lifespan of the army worm from egg to larva to moth is between one and three months. The army worm delivers the most damage during the larval stage.

"Farmers should avoid planting late; avoid staggering planting; and also increase plant diversity," the statement read.

In the 2016/17 cropping season, approximately 50 000 hectares of maize and millet were damaged by the pest, which adversely affected 27 000 households.

Source: The Namibian