The United States Government has said it has mobilised support to combat the “fall” armyworms in the country following the request by the Government of Malawi.
The United States Embassy to Malawi said currently, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is coordinating with the Ministry of Agriculture and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation to identify effective prevention approaches.
Public Affairs Officer for the US Embassy to Malawi, Edward Monster, wrote in response to our questionnaire that USAID’s Strengthening Agricultural and Nutrition Extension Services (SANE) activity is developing outreach and training materials to help farmers identify, manage, and control armyworm infestations.
“USAID’s Agricultural Diversification Project is working with local radio stations, through the Farm Radio Trust, to help farmers identify and rapidly address infestation outbreaks; and USAID’s Malawi Improved Seed Systems and Technologies (MISST) project is supporting research into effective treatment of affected crops,” he said.
As of February, the Ministry of Agriculture estimated that the “fall” armyworms had affected over 35,000 hectares on maize.
The US Government has said it expects the armyworms to have some impact on maize production this year. However, its major concern is that the armyworms have the potential impacting on the irrigated crops to be planted in April and next year’s main agricultural season.
“Unfortunately, it appears that this pest is here to stay. “Fall” Armyworm infestations can be treated with pesticides, which are notoriously difficult and expensive, so we must rely on reliable data to guide our response,” Monster said.
According to the US Government, Malawi’s continued dependence on maize means that armyworms have the potential of being a threat to national food security.
It also suggests that if Malawi’s production and consumption were diversified, the impact of armyworms could not have been gross.
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