Some officials of the ministry who visited farms hitherto attacked by the pests have said there is ample evidence of recoveries by farms.

“In most parts of the Upper East Region where the Youth In Agriculture Program (YIAP) Division of the Ministry is undertaking cultivation of huge acres of maize under the Planting For Food and Jobs (PFJ) in collaboration with WIENCO, a leading agrochemical dealers, the farms look fresh and greeny with farmers expecting to reap bumper harvests,” a statement from the ministry said.

The National Coordinator of YIAP, Mr. Klutse Kudomor, who has been touring the northern parts of the country is very optimistic that the country will record higher yields of maize compared to last year.

Some of the areas already visited by the YIAP Team include Gwollu and Tumu in the Sissala East District.

Mr. Klutse indicated that the Ministry has chalked significantly success in the fight against the fall armyworms and urged Ghanaians not to entertain fears about possible food shortage.

Meanwhile, the YIAP under the Ministry has already harvested several tonnes of rice under the PFJ in the southern part of the country with an anticipated bumper harvest in the north at the latter part of the year.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Upper West Region has been hit hard by a massive invasion of fall armyworms weeks after the incidence was reported in other parts the country.

Thousands of hectares of farmland in about 186 communities have been affected so far.

The Nandom district is the worse hit, with 60 communities, followed by the Sissala West district where farmlands in 37 communities have been destroyed by the fall armyworms.

In the Wa municipality, 17 communities were affected, while 14 others have been devastated in Jirapa. In the Sissala East district, 7 communities have been affected.

Wa West has 6 communities affected, and Daffiama-Busie-Issah has 6 communities affected. The Wa East district, Nadowli-Kaleo district, Lawra and Lambusie-Karni districts have also been affected by the invasion.

Reports say there is a looming food security in the region, as a majority of the residents, who are farmers risk losing their food crops due to the situation.

Saidu Issahaku Suleiman, the Upper West Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), who visited some of the affected farms, told Citi News that the situation has reached an alarming stage.

He appealed to the government and philanthropists to come to the aid of the farmers in the region.

“We are in an emergency. It all started in a few farms, but as we speak, several farms are being attacked each day… majority of the farmers took loans from banks and other financial institutions because of our astronomical poverty situation. They are already in fear of bad harvest because of this calamity that has befallen us as a region,” he said.

“We got some chemicals but we don’t have Napsack spraying machines, protective gloves and other logistics to fight the worms”. Mr. Issahaku added.

Abass Karim Nyuo, the coordinator for Agriculture at the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), has described the invasion of the fall armyworms in Ghana as a serious national security issue that must attract the attention of all development partners.

He said “we must all take up the challenge to combat the spread of fall armyworms in this country because it has the potential to plunge us into a major security problem.”

According to him, SADA has commenced a sensitization programme to drum home varied issues about the deadly worm.

The fall armyworm is part of the order of Lepidoptera and is the larval life stage of a fall armyworm moth. It is regarded as a pest and can wreak havoc with crops if left to multiply.

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By: Latif Mahama/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The pests have eaten deep into the stalks and bitten into the leaves of the crops with the destruction widespread over several acres of farm lands.

Farmers who spoke to Cit News said the situation was becoming an annual occurrence, causing them to lose their investments.

Mr. Steven Agbeve, one of the farmers in the area, said most of his colleagues are gradually being kicked out of the farming business due to the annual invasion of the pest.

Residents of Ziope are predominantly vegetable farmers, and have featured as one of the leading producers of tomatoes and okro in the country.

Another problem facing farmers in this area is the unavailability of market, and storage facilities for their produce after harvest.

They are therefore calling on government to as a matter of urgency come to their aid by quelling the attacks from the pest, and consider the establishment of a processing factory and storage facilities for the vegetables.

Army worms invade Nanumba North District

Army worms have also invaded farm lands in the Nanumba North District of the Northern Region, destroying a number of farms in the process.

Some of the farmers told Citi News they could lose their farm produce and famine may occur in the area, if measures are not taken to address the problem.

This development followed similar occurrences at Dormaa Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo Region, where three hundred and twenty- four (324) farmers in the area were  affected, and a total of 522 hectors of farmlands were infested representing 31.70 percent destruction.

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By: King Nobert Akpabli/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Three hundred and twenty – four (324) farmers in the area have been affected and a total of 522 hectors of farmlands have been infested representing 31.70 per cent of destruction.

The affected communities include Suromani, Agyemankrom, Nsuhia, Amasu, Asenso Number One, Koradaso, Asikasu, Kofiasua, Kwameasua, Dormaa Ahenkro and Antwirifo.

Mr Akaare Damian, the Deputy Director of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) told the media that the invasion was as a result of the wrong application of insecticides – farmers did not use the right dosage of chemical when the insects attacked the farms.

“The farmers delayed more than one week before reporting the incident. They resorted to using their own means to control the insects. When the chemical proved ineffective in dealing with the insects, they later rushed to our office”, he said.

The Deputy Director of Ministry of Food and Agriculture said his outfit has taken delivery of some insecticides and distribution is being made to farmers of the affected communities.

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Source: GNA

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The distribution is being coordinated by a National Taskforce for the control and management of the invasion.

[contextly_sidebar id=”2k1qQOwumPvEx5zuXrWUiRMqCGSURoGU”]The chemicals are being distributed free of charge, as the government is treating the invasion as an emergency and disaster issue.

The armyworm invasion has since affected maize and cowpea farms in the southern sector, but Emmanuel Asante-Krobea, the Chief Technical Advisor at the Agriculture Ministry, assured of government’s plan to contain the situation.

He noted that “chemicals were dispatched to all the regional offices in all the regions of the south, but for the northern parts, they haven’t started planting yet.”

“We are waiting for feedback from the regional directors, as to receiving it, to be able to service the farmers and already, the regions and districts have put in place spraying gangs who are going to do the spraying the grounds. So when the chemicals arrive, straight away, they go into action.”

According to the Agriculture Ministry, in 2016, the army worms destroyed 4,500 hectares of farmlands in Ghana.

Since March 2017, the army worms have destroyed more than 1,370 hectares of maize, cowpea and cocoa farms with the Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and Western Regions being the most affected areas.

Meanwhile, the Ghana COCOBOD has ruled out any significant impact of the armyworm infestation on the output for cocoa for the 2016/2017 crop season.

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By: Kojo Agyeman/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Strategy in place to combat army worms – Agric Ministry appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.