Fall rrmyworms ravage 4,500 Mambwe fields

Over 4,500 fields, covering about 2, 500 hectares are affected by fall army worms in Mambwe District, Eastern province. Mambwe District Agricultural Coordinator (DACO) Henry Mukulumoya said fields belonging to 4,791 households have been infested with fall army worms. Mr Mukulumoya said that the infestation rate currently stand at 19.8 percent.

Mr Mukulumoya says the district had distributed 491 litres of chemical (Cypermethrin) at the germination stage to control the spread of the worms. He however said the use of chemicals in controlling pests was not sustainable. Mr Mukulumoya said farmers were encouraged to practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM) instead.

“We encourage our farmers to exhaust all sustainable methods which include biological, cultural and mechanical control before resorting to using chemical,” he said. The DACO explained that the use of chemicals had the potential of destroying biodiversity.