By Robert Tapfumaneyi
The European Union has contributed US$ 75,000 to Zimbabwe’s efforts to contain an outbreak of armyworm which is destroying cereal crops and pastures.
The funds, channeled through the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), will enable the government of Zimbabwe to purchase chemicals and fuel to contain the outbreak.
Armyworms are moth caterpillars that, when present in large numbers, can destroy large areas of vegetation and crops. The outbreak, along with a delayed start to the rainy season, could further damage food security in the country. It has so far hit five of the country’s eight farming provinces and is reported to have destroyed hundreds of hectares of the staple maize crop in Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Manicaland, the country’s top food-producing provinces. Midlands and Matabeleland North provinces have also been affected.
“This support will go a long way in complementing government’s efforts in supporting agriculture as part of the broader strategy to improve productivity,” said the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Mr Ngoni Masoka.
Mr Masoka added that the current armyworm outbreak poses a potential threat to food security in the country, where close to 1.7 million are already facing food shortages but that the situation is now under control.
Armyworm outbreaks occur in maize and small cereal grains in summer and on irrigated wheat and barley crops in winter if conditions when conditions are favourable. If left unattended, armyworm can extensively damage cereal crops in their early growth stages and pastures as it continuously feeds day and night.
Speaking at the launch of the Zimbabwe Humanitarian Gaps 2013 appeal, recently Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Regional Integration and International Cooperation, Tedious Chifamba said they are always prepared for the outbreak as it takes place every year.
“This is a regular occurrence, each year we do face challenges related to the armyworm. Government and the communities have been in a position previously to deal with the menace. Given the ongoing cooperation between government and the humanitarian partners we are convinced that this problem will be nabbed as soon as possible,” Chifamba said.
According to the 2012 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment (ZimVAC) report, last year’s harvest was one-third lower than that of last year and the lowest since 2009.
Through this contribution the EU and FAO are seeking to contribute to wider efforts towards food security and poverty reduction in Zimbabwe.
The call for assistance for Zimbabwe, whose economy was ravaged by hyperinflation between 2003 and 2008, is part of an US$8.5 billion global appeal launched by the UN in December, which urges aid agencies to help 51 million people cope with humanitarian emergencies this year.
