Story by Providence Maraneli
A devastating outbreak of the African army worm is threatening to derail prospects of a bumper harvest in Matabeleland South province, prompting the government to dispatch pesticides to affected communities.
Gogo Mandlovu, a farmer from the Selonga area in Gwanda South, had high hopes of a successful harvest after the area received significant rainfall.
However, her dreams were shattered when the African army worm invaded her sorghum field, devouring the leaves and damaging the plant heads.
“I had done six plots of sorghum and one for maize , and then I noticed these caterpillars that are eating all the leaves of the crops , I am worried now because, it has affected my crop,” she said.
The outbreak has left the Selonga community in distress, with many farmers expressing concern about the impact on their harvest.
“We are worried, we had received significant rains, we were expecting good harvest, but this pest is killing us,” one farmer said.
In response to the crisis, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development has dispatched teams to affected areas, armed with pesticides to control the outbreak.
“After we heard that there is the African armyworm, we have come with the pesticide, today, and we are demonstrating how we use the chemical.
“My message to farmers is, report to your extension officer whenever you see something you do not know in your fields, We have all the chemicals to deal with the problems,” Matabeleland South Acting Deputy Director for Agritex, Mr Bekhilizwe Ncube said.
Bulilima is the only district in Matabeleland South that has not reported any African armyworm outbreaks.
Zimbabwe is targeting 3.3 million tonnes of cereal for the 2024/2025 season, including 2.7 million tonnes of maize.
