Chereponi MP Samuel Jabanyite has indicated that Ghana is likely to lose about 200,000 metric tonnes of maize this year through the invasion of armyworms on farms in Ghana.
According to him, this situation will likely cause a severe food shortage in Ghana this year and beyond if the government does not take scientific steps in addressing the armyworms that have invaded farms.
Speaking in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM on Thursday June 22, Mr Jabanyite said: “It is being estimated that the total number of farms affected are 80,000 hectares. On the average, if the output per hectare is 2.5 metric tonnes, then we are looking at around 200,000 metric tonnes of maize that we are likely to lose in this 2017 cropping season. This will have a heavy impact on our food security in Ghana come 2018.
“It is true that the government has taken some steps to deal with the situation. The government has indicated that [it is] investing about $16million in dealing with the situation. Out of this amount, $8million will be used in educating the farmers and the remaining $8 million will be used in purchasing the pesticides. The attempt to deal with the problem is commendable, however, the approach is not the best.
“We are mentioning two major issues. Scientifically it has been proven that the worms are very stubborn and the rate at which they multiply is very fast. They are also very resistant to pesticides.
“Again, a fully mature armyworm is able to travel 100 kilometres every night. If you go to North America and South America and other parts of Africa which are experiencing the invasion of the armyworm, the most secure method of destroying the armyworm is by a system they call calendar spraying approach. But here in Ghana the pesticides that have been brought are just for one-time application.
“The pesticide doesn’t kill the larvae outright and so the farmers need to continue spraying at all times. It takes five days for the eggs of the worm to hatch and so the farmer should at least be spraying twice every five days until the whole place is safe and so government’s one-time spraying approach is not a solution to the problem.
“Currently, what has made it a little bit subsided is because of the sudden heavy rains that have come. They have reduced it a little and not because of the one-time spraying that has been done.”
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com
