Story by Providence Maraneli
MATABELELAND South is winning the battle against the African armyworm that was threatening to derail prospects of a good harvest in the province.
As the ZBC News crew tracked the impact of the government’s intervention to thwart the African armyworm that stormed Matabeleland South a few weeks ago, a thriving 35-hectare scheme of various cereal crops in Mzinyathini, Umzingwane District was discovered.
One of the thriving sorghum plots belongs to Mr and Mrs Ndlovu who are now expecting a good harvest.
The couple says they were scared of losing their crop to the relentless African Armyworm that had invaded their field, but thanks to the government blitz, their hopes are back on track.
“I planted this sorghum crop as advised by the extension workers, our major scare was now the African Armyworm. The way it was destroying my crop got me worried,” Mr Ndlovu said.
“We are expecting a good harvest, we thank God for the rains,” Mrs Ndlovu said.
“We were worried after the invasion of the worm, we started seeing it in the pastures, then it spread to the fields, and the reaction from the extension officers impressed us, now we are on course to a good harvest,” another farmer said.
The government reacted swiftly to the African armyworm that was reported in most parts of the province and provided farmers with chemicals.
“I can safely say we have won the war, we still have small pockets where the worm is but generally, after the blitz we managed to suppress it. We are expecting a good harvest in Matabeleland South because we received adequate rains,” the Acting Deputy Director of Agritex, Mr Bhekilizwe Ncube said.
The country is targeting 3.3 million tonnes of cereals for this summer cropping season, including 2.7 million tonnes of maize.
