Armyworms destroy farms in Mampong, Nkoranza

There is an armyworm invasion in the Mampong municipality in the Ashanti Region and Nkoranza in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The worms are fast destroying large acres of maize farms and this could pose a challenge to food security in the country if not dealt with immediately.

Farmers, whose farms have been invaded by the armyworms, have, accordingly, appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to help contain the situation.

The early containment of the invasion, the farmers noted, would prevent the worms from spreading to other farms to cause more havoc.

The worms have taken over more than 500 acres of maize and other farmlands in the affected areas within one week of invasion.

The most affected areas are Woraso, Adidwan, Duaso, Atonsuagya, Sekura, Domi and Sataso, all in the Mampong municipality, and some farming communities near Nkoranza.

Confirmation

The Ashanti Regional Officer of the Plant Protection and Regulatory Service (PPRS) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Madam Gifty Boakye, confirmed the invasion but said chemicals for controlling the worms, such as Lamda and Cypermetrin, were not available.

That, she said, had compelled the farmers to use any available chemical which they thought could kill the pests to protect their investment.

Some of the chemicals the farmers use in the fight against the worms are K. Optima and DD T, instead of Lamda and Cypermetrin.

Madam Boakye explained that usage of the wrong chemicals posed a great danger to the users and the farmlands, while the chemical could also contaminate the particular crop being sprayed.

According to her, there could be a very devastating effect on consumers if maize was sprayed with the wrong chemicals.

She said MoFA would soon embark on public education of the affected farmers and those in surrounding communities on what to do, the effects of using wrong chemicals to control the invasion and efforts being made by her outfit to control the menace.

Farmers’ concerns

Some of the affected farmers — Mr Emmanuel Enin of Adidwan and Mr Isaac Kwasi Oppong of Atonsuagya — who spoke to the Daily Graphic in separate interviews, appealed to the government to, as a matter of urgency, go to their aid by spraying farms in the areas to prevent the worms from spreading to other parts of the country.

They said if the affected farms were not sprayed as soon as possible, farmers might lose all their investment.