A total of 7,536 hectares of farmland in 222 communities, which were invaded by fall armyworms in the Upper East Region have been fully restored.
25 hectares of farms were, however, completely destroyed by the armyworm infestation.
In an interview with Citi news in Bolgatanga on the state the farms in the region after the infestation, the Upper East Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) Mr. Francis Ennor said, though the region is still battling with the armyworm invasion on some farms, the situation is largely under control.
He added that his outfit was still expecting reports on the extent of devastation at Navrongo and Binduri.
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“All districts in the region have filed their reports on the fall armyworms invasions except Navrongo and Binduri.
In all, a total of 9,666 hectares of farms in 222 communities were infested by the fall armyworms out of which 7,536 hectors were sprayed and fully recovered but 25 hectares of farms were also completely destroyed by the wormsâ€.
He indicated that the Garu-Tempane district was the worst-hit district followed by Pusiga, and the Builsa South and North districts.
Mr. Ennor stressed that the presence of fall armyworms on farms will not necessarily lead to losses if farmers spray their affected farms at least every two weeks.
He urged farmers to spray the armyworms either early in the morning and evening since those are the times they feast on the crops.
He added that the region had enough chemicals to fight the fall armyworms but appealed to farmers to form groups in order to be trained on the proper procedures for spraying large hectors of affected farms.
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Mr. Ennor also commended the District Chief Executives for Garu and Talensi, Mr.Emmanuel Avoka Asore and Dr. Christopher Boatbil for securing chemicals for the spraying of armyworms in their areas.
Planting for Food and Jobs Programme
Mr. Ennor stated that, out of a target of 50,000 farmers for this year’s planting for food and jobs, the region registered only 48,108 farmers under the programme comprising 31,764 males and 16,344 females.
He noted that most farmers under the programme did not purchase government-subsidized improved seeds for planting.
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He stated that the region received 600,000 bags of Urea and NPK fertilizers and distributed about 523,700 bags to farmers under the programme.
Mr. Ennor stressed that MOFA had enough fertilizers for farmers adding that, they have in sock 3,000 organic fertilizer ready for farmers upon request.
He was optimistic of a bumper harvest this farming season if farmers adhere to best agro practices.
Source: citinewsroom.com
