Fall armyworm outbreak contained—Govt
The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development has managed to eradicate the Fall Armyworm outbreaks in the 2018-2019 farming season.
The fall army worm, which has been so destructive to the staple grain-maize, affected most of the districts in the country last year.
But speaking at a press conference at Capitol Hill in Lilongwe on Tuesday, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Joseph Mwanamvekha said the interventions government rolled out to eradicate the worm has so far been successful.
“Government introduced the fall armyworm management programme where over 25 000 litres of pesticides were acquired and distributed to all districts in the country. So far the programme has been a success,” he said.
Apart from pesticides, the minister said the fall armyworms were washed out by the heavy rainfall that the country has received since November last year.
“Research has shown that heavy rainfall has a negative impact on the life cycle of fall army worms because they hardly incubate in such conditions,” Mwanamvekha explained.
According to the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS), most areas in Malawi received between 400-800 mm which is average-to-above average rainfall amounts.
The department further projects that Malawi will continue experiencing a good rainfall pattern up to April 2019, which entails that army worm outbreaks will still be in check.
The outbreak of the fall armyworm—an alien pest originating from the western hemisphere—was first reported in Blantyre and Machinga Agriculture Development Divisions (ADDs) before spreading to Kasungu, Mzuzu and Karonga ADDs.
The infestation affected the crop at whorl, tasseling and cob formation stages, posing a significant threat to food security in the 2016/2017 consumption year. n
