Nandi County Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Chief Officer, Willy Too (right) receiving a consignment of Belt pesticides from Ms. Peris Sang of Bayer East Africa Ltd.
Small scale farmers in Nandi County can now breathe a huge sigh of relief after donation of Ksh. 2.5 million worth of pesticides by Bayer East Africa limited – West of Rift Region. The pesticides will be used to fight fall army worms which have ravaged more than 7,000 ha of maize in Nandi.
Fall Armyworm Moth is a migratory pest native to North and South America. This pest occurs in large numbers and its caterpillars cause severe damage to more than 80 plant species especially cereal crops such as maize and rice.
While receiving the consignment in Kapsabet, Nandi County Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Chief Officer Mr. Willy Too observed that 7000 ha of maize in the County have so far been destroyed by the invasion in the past three months. “Our farmers have incurred losses in excesses of Ksh.300 million especially in Chesumei and Mosop sub counties” said Mr. Too.
READ ALSO: OPINION: African governments move into race to halt armyworm catastrophe
READ ALSO: Control fall armyworms with this simple procedure
READ ALSO: Plant extracts show positive results in containing fall armyworm
According to Mr. Too, the fall army worm if not controlled will slowly threaten Kenya’s grain basket stating that the government will ensure all systems are put in place to eradicate the pest. “Everything is under control and farmers should not worry, we are implementing stringent measures to eradicate the worms” added Too.
Last month the national government dispersed over 2000 liters of pesticides to contain the worm. Consequently, farmers have reported a reduction in the spread of the worms.
Mr. Too applauded Bayer East Africa limited for the donation, adding that the pesticides received will be distributed fairly to farmers in the affected regions.
On her part, Peris Sang who is the Head of Sales, Bayer East Africa limited said that the chemical known as ‘Belt’ is able to control the fall worm in all the six stages commonly known as ‘ instas’ and can be sustained in the plant up to the three weeks of control. She recommended farmers in the County to continue using the chemical as it has proved effective with a majority of farmers who have used it.