The Nabdam District Director of the Department of Agriculture, Rasheed Imoro, has taken exception to media reports that suggest his outfit has denied reports of the invasion of armyworms in some farms in the District.
According to him, about 178 acres of detected farms have been infested with the armyworms, but the situation, he said, is under control as the department, with support from the government, has provided the farmers with some chemicals to help fight the armyworms.
He noted that the issue of armyworms has become the norm since 2017, not only in the Nabdam District but in the country as a whole, where most farms were infested with the armyworms, but there was no call for alarm since measures were in place to fight the menace.
He stated that “extension officers could not possibly locate every single farm in the district, and there was the possibility of some farms affected that have not been brought to the attention of the department.”
It will be recalled that A1radioonline.com reported on the invasion of armyworms in some farms in the Nabdam District that was destroying maize crops and some concerns raised by farmers on July 17, but media reports emerged a day later to suggest otherwise.
Mr. Imoro said, “I was there when a certain number was calling me frequently, and so I picked it up, and he said he is a reporter and saw some reports that there was an outbreak of armyworms in Nabdam, and so I told him to come to the office if he wants to know.”
“So he came and asked me some questions about it, and I mentioned to him that we have detected 178 acres of farmland in the District that have been affected, but I didn’t read the report to which he is referring, though a reporter there called me to draw my attention to some affected areas.
“If I say in one breath that there are 178 farms affected but the situation is under control, does that suggest that there are no armyworms especially when it is not possible to locate every single farm? I think sometimes people take headlines for stories out of proportion,” he noted.
Francis Aberese, an Agricultural Extension officer responsible for the Asonge and Gane area who was directed by the Director to tour some of the farms at Zanlerig-Gane with this reporter, admitted that the situation was serious and needed urgent attention.
“I can estimate that this maize farm we have toured will be about three acres, and as we have all seen, it is a very serious case that needs urgent attention before it escalates to other places,” he noted
He subsequently handed over some chemicals to the farmers to spread on their farms, adding that the main extension officer designated for the area’s attention would be drawn to continuing with the other places for possible solutions.
Meanwhile, the Upper East Regional Director of Agriculture, Alhaji Zachariah Fuseini, speaking with Mark Smith on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East show on July 21, confirmed the invasion of the fall armyworms.
He revealed that three districts, including Nabdam, Builsa, and Kassena Nankana Municipal, were affected, but added that chemicals have been made available to help the farmers fight the menace.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Gilbert Azeem Tiroog|Ghana
