Ekiti State Government has alerted farmers in the state to the outbreak of Fall Armyworm infestation in cereal production.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Ebenezer Boluwade, said that maize, one of the most important cereal crops grown in Nigeria and a major diet of millions of Nigerians, was the most infested crop by FAW in Africa.
Boluwade gave the advisory in a statement made available in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, on Saturday
He said, “The Federal Government in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organisation has directed all the states to activate FAW Desk and Ministry of Agriculture Goa Rapid Assessment of the severity of the infestation in cereal producing areas.”
The commissioner described FAW as a significant maize insect pest capable of inflicting yield loss to the tune of 100 per cent.
Boluwade said, “The state government is putting up urgent approach to manage the reported hike in the level of infestations using holistic management strategies and controls of the invasive insect pest in order to prevent famine in Ekiti State.”
To combat the menace, he stressed the need for an Integrated Pest Management approach, which he said required integration of the cultural, biological, botanical, physical, genetic and chemical control measures and combined if possible to reduce the population of FAW in the maize farms to ensure food security and safety.
The commissioner urged any affected farmer to contact the FAW Desk at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
