Armyworm outbreak reported in Oshikoto region

An armyworm outbreak has been reported in some villages in the Oshikoto region.

Onyaanya constituency councillor, Gideon Shikomba, said on Friday that the outbreak, first reported on 7 February, has affected the Onyaanya A, Oshikulu and Ombudu villages.

Shikomba reported that the worms continued to destroy crops this week.

In a separate interview, Omuntele constituency councillor Sackeus Nangula also confirmed that he had received reports of seven villages affected by the outbreak.

“I have been receiving reports since last week,” Nangula said, before applauding the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform for tackling the problem swiftly.

The ministry’s chief technician in the directorate of veterinary services for the region, Lucia Shiimi, said after they learned about the outbreak in the Omuntele constituency last week, a team was dispatched to scout the affected areas.

“We sent out our staff to scout before we started spraying on Saturday to get rid of the worms,” Shiimi said.

She further noted that rainwater appears to be effective in eliminating the pests, as some farmers in areas that experienced heavy rainfall reported a decline in armyworm activity.

“Our team is spraying in the Omuntele constituency and will continue in the Onyaanya constituency and other parts of the region where [armyworms] have been reported,” said Shiimi.

She also reported that some farmers have reported a different type of worm, unidentified moth larvae known locally as ‘Ombuvi’. She said a team will be deployed soon to spray the insects.

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