High infestation rate of Fall Armyworm creates panic among growers

LAHORE: High infestation rate of Fall Armyworm on different crops during the current season, especially on maize, has sent a wave of panic among the growers who say it might hit the spring maize too, posing a threat to country’s food security.

The pest warning wing of the Punjab Agriculture Department in its advisory after the 2nd week of current month has shown that the pest had attacked maize crop in 32 districts of the province with infestation rate observed on 42.60 per cent of sports surveyed by the department.

Similarly, infestation on Sorghum crop is observed from 19 districts while on Millet crop from 5 districts of the Punjab, while the infestation is expected to increase in the coming period, the report adds.

Meanwhile, according to the sources, federal government has also written a letter to the provincial governments apprising them of possible threat Fall Armyworm could pose to the food security and livelihood of millions of small-scale farmers in any country including Pakistan. The letter written early this month said the worm could eat maize and some 80 other crops including rice, vegetables, groundnuts and cotton. So, it advised the provincial governments to chalk out some action plan for detection and management of this highly destructive pest.

Farmers Bureau Pakistan (FBP) President Dr. Zafar Hayat, who is also a maize growers from Jalalpur Peer Wala area, while talking to Business Recorder said that kharif maize crop was heavily infested and substantially damaged, which will bring down the yield remarkably, if proper pesticides are not available before the start of rabi crop, we will face maize crop failure. This will be a setback to agriculture sector and farmers.

Another grower from Pakpattan, Aamer Hayat Bhandara, said FAW is a threat, severe for the national as well as global food security, the most effective solution to save farmers from this challenge is affective spraying of the pesticides at the moment because we do not have a concrete and a credible biological solution for this pest. In his opinion like locusts control the drone technology can be more helpful and more reliable to spray the best pesticides covering the maize fields at large targeting all the farmers with small as well as large land holding. Effectiveness of farmers committees at all level is more important for effective policy implementation and awareness even in the backward rural areas.

Abdur Rehman, another grower from Chichawatni said that farmers were anticipating this attack this time due to which they took precautionary measures and remained vigilant which had reduced the damage.

DG Agriculture (Extension) Punjab and coordinator of the provincial committee on Fall Armyworm management said that the department is well aware of the sensitivity of the matter and working in collaboration with the FAO to manage this pest.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021