Officials from Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries have participated in a continental fall army worm control workshop that was held in Lusaka, Zambia paving ways to oust and control catastrophic pests destroying plants.
The fall army worm in Uganda was first observed in June 2016 on maize plants and later on other cereal crops and grasses however, through the department of crop protection, the Ministry of Agriculture responded by procuring emergency insecticides.
After various presentations executed by different participants, they agreed to consider a national strategy for control of the pest with the target of reducing the prevalence of the pest from the current national average of 80 per cent to below 5 per cent by end of 2020.
According to Benius Tukahirwa from the department of crop protection in the directorate of crop resources, they resolved to kick start a process that will deliver a new approach to communications and extension services that can better deal with the fall armyworm and similar pests.
Under communication strategy they, vowed to sensitize and mobilize against the pest, saying it affects farmers yields and earnings.
The fight against the fall army worm has been largely supported by government of Uganda, Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO of the United Nations CABI, local media and the extension system since the outbreak in the first season of 2017.
More recently the FAO contributed a consignment of pheromone traps and more equipment for monitoring and controlling the fall armyworm.