Fall armyworms damage crops

BY DHYAN KULUNG Sankhuwasabha, May 4: Assault of fall armyworms have increased in different areas of the district. Farmers are worried after fall armyworm insects destroyed maize and potato leaves and buds.

Potatoes and maize planted in Chichila, Silichong, Makalu and Sabhapokhari rural villages of the district have been damaged.

Farmers have become upset after the insects ate all the leaves of the grown maize seedlings and fruiting potatoes.

According to Kamal Raj Kulung, a local of Silichong Rural Municipality-2, almost all maize field is about to be damaged due to the insects that started eating about two weeks ago.

He said that farmers have no hope of fruit after the damage of leaves and stems of the plants by fall armyworms. According to the locals, the insects have damaged almost all potato and maize planted in Ward No. 2 of Chichila Rural Municipality.

Farmers said that even though the rural area has started production by declaring Ward No 2 as pocket area of potato, they have no hope of getting yield due to damage to the plants by the fall armyworms.

 "Now is the time for fruiting. There are no plants. How can a potato give fruit?" said Ramesh Rai of Chichila-2.

Locals are worried that if the pests are not controlled in time, there will be scarcity of food, Rai said.

Despite increase in the effect of fall armyworm, they could not be controlled due to lack of required preparedness of the local government in this regard.

Some localities do not have adequate pesticides and some municipalities do not have equipment to spray pesticides.

Although pesticides have been distributed to some farmers in Silichong Rural Municipality, which is suffering from armyworm outbreak, the pesticides have not been brought into use due to lack of spray tanks.

A total of two spray tanks in the rural municipality have been distributed, said Biroj Kulung, chief of the agriculture branch of the municipality.

He said that they are in the process of purchasing additional equipment. Farmers have complained that they have not received adequate assistance from the rural municipality even after the insects destroyed their crops.

The Chichila Rural Municipality, which has been hit by the insects, has already distributed pesticides called 'Emamectin benzoate' and 28 spray tanks to farmers.

There are many commercial farmers in Chichila and they already have spray machines, so the rural municipality only distributes more pesticides, said Sajan Bishwokarma, chief of the agriculture unit of the municipality.

This time, there is an outbreak of armyworms in almost all the municipalities of the district, said Yogendra Prasad Yadav, chief of Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Sankhuwasabha.

He said that the centre is providing technical assistance for pest control.

He said that technical advice was given by the centre as there were agricultural technicians in each municipality.