FARMERS in the Omusati region are battling to protect their crops against a hungry, dark cloud of locusts.
Outapi constituency councillor Immanuel Shikongo yesterday said the insects arrived at his constituency at around 11h00 on Tuesday.
He said the orange-brown locusts were first seen at villages near Outapi.
“Residents there chased the insects, and it flew to villages such as Oshitukafitu and Ombandjele. Many crops have been destroyed,” Shikongo said.
He said the insects are not only a threat to crops, but also to grazing areas, as they devour both crops and grass.
The locusts only left the villages after people hooted and yelled at them, and burned tyres and old containers, he said.
Shikongo said the police also tried to scare the insects away with their sirens.
“I would like to urge our people to yell and burn tyres when they see locusts in their mahangu fields. They need to stay at home so that if the swarm comes, they can be able to chase it. Our people should work as a team,” he said.
Kosmas Moongela, from Olukekete village, yesterday said the swarm looks like a dark cloud as it moves through the sky.
The locusts were first reported in the Ohangwena region on Sunday.
Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform spokesperson Magreth Kalo confirmed this week that the ministry was aware of the situation and has sent a team to assess and spray the area with insecticide.
Ohangwena regional governor Walde Ndevashiya at the time urged farmers to calm down and stop burning tyres, because this could cause the insects to disperse, which would make spraying a challenge.
“On Saturday, I received a video clip of the invasion of locusts from our consulate in Angola, but a few hours later the councillor of Ongenga called me and informed me that the locusts had crossed the border and were moving into the region.
“We were on the ground early on Sunday morning. Quite a huge area was affected, but the agriculture team killed some of them,” he said.
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