EXPERST WARNS THAT ARMYWORM MIGHT MULTIPLY IN AFRICA

By, Our Reporter

Experts in food and agriculture say the fall army worm could continue to multiply and become endemic across the African continent.

This is part of the outcome of a two-day meeting in Nairobi, Kenya convened by Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) to tackle the outbreak of the pest which has now spread to twenty African countries including Uganda.

The meeting was to find solutions to tackle the armyworm in both the short, medium and long terms.

The Director at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) Boddupalli Prasanna, said that the Fall armyworm which is more destructive than any other pest might stay but farmers need to be supported with options to manage their crop against it.

Dr Roger Day, a plant health coordinator at the Center for Agricultural and Bio-sciences International (CABI), said a conservative estimate indicates the loss of Africa’s maize due to the army worm could cost the continent three billion Dollars in the coming year.

Gabriel Rugalema, the FAO Representative in Kenya, said there is need for adequate funding and that taking a regional approach to controlling the Fall army worm is vital.