The Katsina State chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has lamented the destruction of the crops by worms while calling on the state government to assist farmers in controlling worms that ate up stems, which made it difficult for the crops to survive.
The AFAN chairman in the state, Yau Umar-Gojo-Gojo, made the call while speaking with journalists in Katsina, pointing out that the problem was much more common in places like the Batarawa, Mani, Daura, and Funtua axes.
He feared the problem could affect agricultural productivity, especially maize, guinea corn, and millet, unless urgent measures were taken, explaining that farms that reported such problems were in significant areas producing such crops.
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Gojo noted that the worms mainly attacked newly planted crops due to rainfall’seizures’ in many places in the state for over ten days, adding that they are hoping that they will disappear as soon as rainfall resumes.
“We have received complaints from some of our members that the worms are seriously destroying their crops. We have visited such affected places and seen how the worms spread, but we advised them to, as a matter of urgency, use recommended chemicals to kill the worms before the government intervenes to reduce losses.’’
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The AFAN chairman urged the state government to assist the farmers in controlling the worms and save them from recording pre-harvest losses. He called on the government to deploy extension workers to each ward in the state to ensure the elimination of such insects in their respective communities.
According to him, the government has given each extension worker a motorcycle and sprayer for use in his area where necessary, so the government should also provide them with the chemicals to control the worms.
