The government has admitted that it has not yet found a lasting solution to the fall armyworms menace that is currently 'terrorizing' maize farmers in the North Rift region.
According to the Agriculture Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Dr. Andrew Tuimur, the fall armyworms are likely to be a long-term challenge to farmers.
He now wants farmers to be ready to deal with the lethal worm but said the government was looking at ways to reduce its damages.
“We were recently in Brazil and we learned that they have heard the fall armyworms for the past 30 years and have never fully eradicated it but what they have done is reduce destruction to at least 2 percent,” he said.
Speaking at Illula in Moiben constituency on Friday, Tuimur revealed that the ministry of agriculture is already conducting research on the possibility of introducing biological control to the fall armyworms.
“The best way to deal with fall armyworms is to get another pest that will be able to tackle it and this is the possibility we are working on,” he noted.
And before the biological control is introduced, the Agriculture CAS is now advising farmers to ensure they spray their maize as soon as they notice signs of eggs on their maize.
“Timely spraying is key in containing fall armyworms and we are advising farmers that when their maize reaches about one foot and notices signs of eggs on the leaves they must spray immediately before the eggs hatch into the armyworms,” he advised.
Already several maize farms in some parts of the North Rift region, the county’s food basket have been infested with the armyworms.