Ngilu govt. comes to the rescue of Kitui West farmers as armyworms invade farms
Wednesday, April 13, 2022_
The County Ministry of Agriculture today distributed insecticides to farmers in Kitui West Sub-county to exterminate fall armyworms destroying crops and pastureland.
The exercise was led by Agriculture Chief Officer Kioko Kiilu in Matinyani, hardly a day after the farmers sought for the county government’s intervention in dealing with the armyworms menace.
Mr. Kiilu affirmed the county administration’s commitment to assist the farmers in dealing with the worms invasion in order to avert further damage.
“We urge the farmers to remain calm because we will support them in every possible manner to ensure total eradication of the destructive insects,” he emphasized.
According to the residents, the worms were spotted about a week ago but nobody paid much attention until they swarmed their farms and pastureland leaving serious damage in their wake.
John Sandi of Matinyani village said the African armyworms had destroyed most of his maize crop forcing him to re-sow.
The residents thanked Governor Ngilu and her administration for the timely intervention saying the insecticide will be handy in salvaging their crops from further destruction.
“We are grateful for the support we have received from the county government. Agriculture ministry officials have visited our farms to assess extent of crop damage and have issued us with insecticides for eradicating the worms,” said Kamene Mutua, another farmer.
Governor’s Press Service