"Fall army worms here to stay"

The devastating fall armyworm which has destroyed large tracts of farms in the country cannot leave Ghana as they have come to stay, the Director of Pest and Diseases Management of Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Ebenezer Aboagye has disclosed.

The nocturnal worms which travel 100 kilometres a night and originated from the Americas, can now survive on 80 plants in Ghana and have adapted to the weather conditions in the country.

Mr Aboagye at a media sensitization forum on the fall armyworm for some selected media houses from Brong Ahafo, Eastern and Ashanti regions in Kumasi said the worms dwindled during certain times in their country of origin but in Ghana, they flourished all year round because conditions were favourable.

He explained that the Ministry was currently working on various natural and unnatural means to deal with the worms.

He said although the worms have their natural destructive agents, unfortunately, they did not come along with the agents and announced that the Ministry was working on possibly bringing in the natural destructive agents or develop them in Ghana in a laboratory.

The fall armyworms entered Ghana in 2016 and wrecked havoc in 2017. Government has earmarked GH¢ 16 million for the worm control.