Kenya records progress in eliminating armyworms

Kenya has made good progress in eradicating fall armyworms that had invaded hundreds of farms in various regions across the East African nation.

The country's Ministry of Agriculture early this month conceded invasion of the pest and discouraged citizens from moving plant materials from one region to another.

The ministry identified a variety of crops under threat that included cereals such as sorghum, millet, rice, millet, wheat, maize and barley.

Pasture grasses like Bermuda, hay and napier grass and vegetables like kale and cabbages, legumes or pulses, bananas, tomatoes, capsicum, ginger, spinach, amaranth, onions, sugar beet, citrus, cucumber and sunflower were also under threat.

Approximately 11,000 hectares of off-season maize had been infested, according to the ministry. Maize is the most important staple in Kenya with a per capita consumption of more than 78kg per person, per annum.

The armyworm, according to the ministry, undergoes full egg-larva- pupa-adult metamorphosis, with the female laying tiny eggs in masses of 150-200, thus, enabling the pest to cover a huge area in short time.

"Plant early and adhere to regional planting calendar, use recommended fertilizers and keep fields weed-free to boost plant vigour," the ministry told farmers.

In conjunction with county governments, it released chemicals for use as farmers were mobilized to spray their crops, especially in maize growing areas of Bungoma, Busia, Siaya and Kakamega and wheat growing areas like Nakuru and Uasin Gishu.

The efforts are paying off, with farmers reporting that they are winning against the pest that has become a threat to Kenya's food security, worsened by a six months drought.

"I sprayed my two acres of maize concentrating on the shoots as advised by agricultural officers. The maize is now flowering because I have maintained intermittent spraying," James Kayunga, a farmer in Bungoma, said Wednesday.

Kayunga explained that he detected the pest on his farm in mid-March and has worked hard to eliminate it.

"The county government stepped in to help farmers when I had already made my own progress. Some farmers who delayed spraying have lost their crops to the pest but a majority are reporting good progress," he said.

At the Kenyan Coast, the Kwale County government said there are no more reports on the presence of armyworms.

"I am happy to report that there's no single case of new invasion of the armyworms in the county. We have achieved this progress by using various strategies with the help of the national government," said County Agriculture Director David Wanjala.

Bernard Moina, an agricultural extension officer in Kitale, one of the areas that had been hit the pests, said the intensify of the worms in the area had gone down significantly.

The pests, according to the UN agency Food and Agriculture Organization, was first detected in Nigeria in January last year and has spread in Botswana, Congo, Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo, and Uganda.

There are four kinds of armyworms namely African armyworm, Common armyworm, Fall armyworm and Lawn armyworm. The Fall armyworm is the one that has invaded Kenyan farms. Endit