THE Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform has announced the presence of African migratory red locusts in some parts of the Ohangwena region, destroying crops and grazing land.
The locusts are reported to be in both hopper and flying stages.
Jona Musheko, the ministry’s spokesperson, says the locusts were reported by farmers in the Oshikunde constituency towards the end of February.
“Farmers in the surrounding areas of the Oshikunde constituency are urged to be on the lookout and report any notable locusts to the agriculture ministry or constituency offices.
“Locusts pose a serious threat to crops in general, and river field crops and livestock grazing areas,” he says.
Musheko says as a result, the ministry has deployed extension officials to intensify surveillance to monitor and assess the situation, and has been advised to commence with ground spraying in the affected areas.
He says the ministry will continue assessing the situation to curb the further spread of the locusts.
“The ministry is therefore urging farmers to be on the alert and report any presence of locusts to the nearest agriculture development centre or constituency office. Furthermore, farmers are also advised to cooperate with the ministry’s officials during the spraying campaign,” he says.
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