By: Joseph Titus Yekeryan
The Director General of the Central Agricultural Research Institute, Victor Sumo says the institute remains focused and vigilant in the fight against the outbreak of caterpillars in the country.
“CARI is here for our people, especially farmers so we won’t give up. We will continue to fight this outbreak before it leads to what we are all not expecting” Dr. Sumo said at a recent press conference at his CARI residence in Suakoko.
It has been about two weeks now since Farmers in Bong and other countries started struggling to cope with an invasion of armyworms that continue to destroy crops and contaminate drinking water sources.
The caterpillars which march in large groups and feed on young plants, are currently wiping out entire fields.
However, to combat the invasions, Dr. Sumo said a team of CARI pathologists was set up and is in the field at different farming communities responding to the outbreak since it was reported in the county by media institutions.
He said the pathologists were dispatched immediately to affected communities to do an assessment to identify the cause of the outbreak and find a solution to control the spread of the caterpillars to other places.
The CARI Director General told newsmen that currently, the team is in the field responding to the outbreak by spraying the pests to further reduce their infestation in other communities.
Dr. Sumo also assured farmers not to panic as CARI is partnering with other institutions including Red Cross, Ministry of Agriculture, EPA and other stakeholders to intensify the fight against the caterpillars’ infestation in the county and the country by extension.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]
Dr. Sumo said farmers will be trained on how to use the pesticide that is recommended by the pathologists in the fight against the caterpillars’ outbreak in the county.
