FG, 36 states in need of N3bn to fight army worm infestation, silent on moribund Silos
The federal government has begun a joint tailored to end the ongoing invasion of army worm in several farms across the states.
The worm known attacking maize, seems to have extended its destruction to other crops including cocoa, sorghum, tomato, ginger, cotton and rice, among others.
Already, a director in the ministry’s Department of Pest Control, Dr. Kalu Mike, hinted that about 700,000 hectares of maize farms in five geo-political zones of the country had already been taken over by the pest.
In a meeting with commissioners of agriculture from the 36 states of the federation in Abuja, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said to avoid a major food crisis, governments must work together and fast to end the attacks.
According to him, states must respond urgently by purchasing recommended pesticides for local farmers, adding that about N2.98bn was needed to effectively tackle the menace.
He said “If farmers lose their farms and they refuse to farm, this country will be in trouble. We will write to your governors and make them understand why they should do this, while we see how we look for funds.
“As you have heard, about N2.98b is needed to fight this army worm in at least 700,000 hectares of land across board, especially in those areas where the case is more pronounced. We also have huge amount of money to pay poultry farmers as compensation. Now, we have no money, with the budget not signed into law.”
Analysts say the challenge hindering funding for the pesticides may be the delay in presidential assent to the 2017 budget from where the federal government through the Ministry can make its contributions.
