- Invasion of Fall Army Worm
- MoFA intervention by providing pesticides
- Farms in the Northern parts of Ghana experiencing the infestation
The fight against Fall Army Worm (FAW) is ongoing as the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) assures that it is taking steps to curb the outbreak by making available certified pesticides to farmers.
The Northern Regional Director of the Ministry, Hawa Musah, made this known while addressing the complaints of some smallholder farmers in the region about government’s failure to support the fight against FAW.
According to her, the pesticides are being released to farmers through municipal and district Directors of Agriculture at various farming communities, along with other interventions to contain the deadly worm that attacks crops like maize and sorghum, among others, in northern parts of the country.
“We know FAW has come to stay, and so we have also put in place measures to fight against the pest through the provision of chemicals and continuous capacity training to the farmers and Agric Extension Agents (AEAS),” she said in an interview.
The farmers expressed worry as the worms cause huge damage to staple cereals, especially maize and sorghum which leads to huge losses, as well as affecting food security and trade every year.
She emphasized that the Ministry after hearing of the outbreak, acquired chemicals which were immediately handed over to district officers for distribution to the farmers. She further urged farmers who haven’t received the pesticides to report to the nearest District Agriculture office.
Mrs. Musah disclosed that the affected farms are inspected by extension officers to determine the gravity of the situation before the pesticides are handed to farmers.
“Despite the effort being made by government and other private sector players, some farmers are also not helping themselves to curb the situation,”
she said while highlighting some shortcomings of some farmers.
She holds that the failure on the part of some farmers to adhere to guidelines provided for ensuring good agronomic practices is the reason for the nonstop spread of the pest.
She went ahead to advise farmers to try to buy only certified pesticides from certified shops to add to the few provided by government to help curb spread of the worms.
Mrs. Musah also disclosed that her outfit has been liaising with the extension officers to ensure farmers within the affected areas engage in good agronomic practices to increase their crop-yields.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), farmers need significant support to manage FAW sustainably in their cropping systems through Integrated Pest Management (IPM) activities, because the FAW cannot be eliminated.
