Days after the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto told Parliament that the fall armyworms infestation has been defeated, farmers in the Nanumba North District are disputing the claims.
According to the farmers, there are still traces of armyworms on various farms in the district.
The frustrated farmers who spoke to Citi News said although the farms have been sprayed, the worms continue to destroy their produce.
The farmers also said they had to buy chemicals from the open market to spray their farms because they did not benefit from the ones being distributed by the National Taskforce for the control and management of armyworms.
“I sprayed them and the worms left but they have returned again,” one farmer noted.
The District Agriculture Officer for Nanumba North, Sulemana Saaka told Citi News, the district was supplied only 200 liters of the chemicals.
He described the quantity as inadequate and called on the government to intervene to bring an end to the invasion.
They received 80 litres of chemicals and gave one each to farmers for use on 1.5 acres, but that was not enough.
“The farmers always come to complain that they need the chemicals so we were telling them that we need to go to Tamale… so I received 120 litres – 120 per carton,” Mr. Saaka said.
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By: Mohammed Aminu M. Alabira/citifmonline.com/Ghana