Zimbabwe’s struggling farmers have lost close to 1 000ha of grain crops to an outbreak of the devastating army worm pest, the private Daily Mirror reported on Thursday.
The outbreak of army worm — a caterpillar that eats crops — was top of Zimbabwe’s state-run radio bulletins earlier this week in a sign of just how seriously the authorities take the threat.
Quoting an official from the state Department of Agricultural and Research Extension Services (Arex), the paper said 811ha of desperately-needed maize, sorghum and millet had been destroyed so far. This could represent around 4 000 tonnes of grain, the paper estimated.
Arex says it first received reports of the army worm outbreak at the beginning of December.
”We have received reports on the outbreaks from Manicaland, Matabeleland North, the Midlands, Mashonaland East, West and Central provinces since the beginning of last month,” the official, Cames Mguni, told the Daily Mirror.
Aid agencies say more than three-million Zimbabweans will face food shortages again this season after widespread crop failures.
President Robert Mugabe’s government blames the repeated shortages on drought, but critics say his controversial programme of white farm seizures is also to blame.
The government is currently importing 1,8-million tonnes of grain — Zimbabwe’s total annual grain requirements — to feed the country.
Mguni said the authorities were pinning their hopes on continued rains as these are said to destroy army worm.
”We are grateful that it is currently raining heavily as the pest usually dies under such conditions. However, should we experience a dry spell, the situation may become difficult to contain,” Mguni said.
The state-run Herald newpaper said on Thursday the army worm was moving into new areas, including Dzivarasekwa on the outskirts of the capital Harare. Farmers are being told to spray their crops. – Sapa-dpa