We need N2.98bn to fight armyworm infestation on farms - FG

Federal Government has said it will cost the country about N2.98 billion to fight armyworm infestation ravaging farmlands across the country.
 
Audu Ogbeh
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
Mike Kanu, Deputy Director, Horticulture, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, who disclosed this in Abuja at a meeting with Commissioners for Agriculture from the 36 states last week, warned that the situation may lead to food shortage if the menace is not speedily brought under control.

Kanu used the national maize output which is currently 10.5 million tonnes to illustrate the danger ahead. According to him, the government may have no other option than to import the crop if the country is to fill a national demand gap of five million tonnes because demand for maize is 15.5 million tonnes.


He suggested the use and spraying of organic and inorganic chemicals to stamp out the pest infestation. “The major host for this caterpillar is maize but it also affects cotton, tomato, groundnut and ginger,’’ he said. He added that the poultry industry is the major casualty of the armyworm infestation because operators largely depend on maize in the production of feeds.

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