Fall Army Worms Hit Chikwawa
As the country grapples with how to deal with the raging problem of fall army worm attacks in crop fields at the moment, there are reports that Chikwawa district is the latest casualty and farmers are desperately trying to save whatever is remaining of crop fields in that area.
One of the farmers, Lester Josen Makala, from Diwa Village in the area of Senior Chief Makhuwira told Zodiak Online Thursday morning that the worms are attacking his maize fields.
He urges government to swiftly move in to assist as there is growing panic.
“I have sprayed my crops several times but to no avail. I am now waiting for agriculture extension workers for some technical expertise,” said Makala.
Ward councilor for Makhuwira North of Chikwawa East, Alex Ziggy Mlonya, and legislator for Chikwawa West, Suzen Dossi, have also sounded and SoS on the development.
District Agriculture Development Officer, James Chikoya, says the problem has affected all the Extension Planning areas, EPAs and that maize fields have suffered the most.
Meanwhile, Chikoya says, his office has supplied chemicals to the EPAs to deal with the fall army worms.
“We so far sent 200mls to each EPA as we are in the process of conducting an assessment,” said Chikoya.
Apart from fall army worms, Chikwawa is also prone to other natural hazards such as floods, dry-spells and strong winds which contribute to food insecurity in the area.
