28 Feb 2017

Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security official has advised farmers to be on the lookout for fall army-worm break out as there have been reports of the invasion of this pest in the region.

Responding to a questionnaire from BOPA, the ministry’s district agriculture coordinator, Mr Nkaigwa Joel explained that the army worm pest had been found in most of the north east region, adding that this was the first time the worm had been seen in Botswana.

Mr Joel noted that areas like Moroka, Nlaphwane and Zwenshambe had been unfortunate to have been under attack by the devastating pest, adding that farmers in those areas had been advised accordingly by authorities.

He further advised all farmers to constantly have regular inspections of their fields so that any abnormalities were detected as early as possible and appropriate action taken.

Mr Joel also noted the importance of reporting to the nearest agriculture department any attack of pests or diseases so that farmers got advice as early as possible.

In addition, he stated that in case of attack by fall army worm, farmers should purchase pesticides as prescribed by the department of crops staff and spray as advised or as indicated by the manufacturer.

Mr Joel confirmed that most agro-chemical shops in the country had different pesticides that could assist in the control of the pest where farmers could easily purchase them.

He described the worm as ‘very stubborn’, daying farmers should  spray as directed by the manufacturer only, hence, weekly intervals should be maintained for good results.

Amewi, an online system developed by Agribusiness Forum Botswana that bridges the information dissemination and communication gap in the farming industry, had recently cautioned farmers to be on the lookout for the fall army worm pest as preliminary evidence of the worm was found in Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe recently. ENDS