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The Herald, January 7, 1993
A SHORTAGE of spraying equipment threatens operations to destroy the armyworm, whose outbreak is more serious than previously reported, agricultural officials in Bulawayo said yesterday.
In separate interviews, officials in the Department of Agriculture, Technical and Extension Services in both Matabeleland North and South said while only a few places have been reported as having the armyworm, it had been discovered that the outbreak is widespread throughout Bulawayo and the surrounding areas.
“There are very few areas that have not reported an outbreak of the armyworm, so we are doing everything in our power to control the outbreak,” said one official.
The programme to eradicate the armyworm could be jeopardised by lack of spraying equipment, they said. Farmers who have money to buy their equipment are being advised to do so.
“At the moment we have enough chemicals to get rid of the pest, but we just do not have enough equipment,” said the chief Agritex officer for Matabeleland North, Mr Ernest Danda.
Agricultural officials are worried that if the worm is not eradicated in time, crops and grazing might be destroyed. They said the speed with which the armyworm destroys crops required urgent and swift measures.
However, a senior crop protection specialist in the Department of Research and Specialist Services has said there is enough spraying equipment and chemicals in the country to contain the outbreak.
“I think the only problems we have at the moment is the logistics of running the whole programme. We certainly have enough spraying equipment to go round,” said the official.
He said farmers who want to spray have to buy proper spraying equipment or call Agritex officials. Any attempts to spray using other means are very wasteful and less effective, he said.
“There is no need for alarm, I want to assure everybody that the armyworm will be eradicated and farmers should not panic,” he said.
Yesterday senior Agritex officials in Bulawayo spent the day busy supervising the spraying of chemicals in the affected areas around the city.
The city council could not say whether it was going to make available some of its personnel to assist in the spraying as requested by Agritex. The City Director of Health Services, Dr Barnett Nyathi, said he did not know anything about that request. He referred all other questions to the Town Clerk who was not immediately available for comment.
Meanwhile, the armyworm, has also been sighted in some parts of Zhombe communal lands, Midlands, raising fears of a serious outbreak in the province.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
- The armyworm is so destructive and it is a serious threat to food security.
- Problems of the armyworm have been reported for decades every cropping season. However, like the Covid-19 pandemic, HIV or tuberculosis, what is crucial for farmers and agronomists alike is not where they originated from, but how they can be eradicated so that farmers have good yields.
- It is crucial that farmers check on their crops on a regular basis. If they discover challenges that cannot be solved by the pesticides in stock, they should quickly report to authorities.
- The best thing that ever happened to farmers is that the Department of Extension Services is in all provinces and districts, and they always react to reported problems, because they understand the importance of food security.
Online Reporter