Siavonga District Commissioner (DC) Lovemore Kanyama has refuted media reports claiming the area has run out of anti army worms chemicals.
Mr. Kanyama advised the parliamentarian quoted in the tabloid to remove politics from the war against army worms as the trend is merely frustrating government’s efforts in combating the pests.
The DC said in an interview in Lusaka today that hunger knows no boundary as it inflicts on everyone regardless of political affiliation.
He has assured the farmers in Siavonga not to be swayed by the named politician whom he termed as an ignorant law-maker.
However, facts on the ground are that for the past two weeks since the army worms invaded the fields only about 30 battles of chemicals have been distributed to farmers.
The chemicals have not run out but the district have not yet received them from Choma as the agriculture office was using the few bottles that were kept for emergency only.
The farmers have not yet been given the chemicals despite the district management committee going round to assess the damaged crops.
Poor farmers are helplessly watching their crops being invaded as the District Disaster Management Committee has failed to organise transport to pick the chemicals in Choma and distribute the chemicals before the pest destroys the fields.
Armyworms are the larvae of a moth which particulary attack maize fields thereby threaten the country’s food security.
To demonstrate government’s commitment to addressing the army worms, President Edgar Lungu has declared a war on these pests.
Recently, Government released K30.8 million for eradicating the pests. In 2012, Zambia was attacked by these pests.
Yesterday, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) National Coordinator Patrick Kangwa announced that all provinces affected by army worms have received excess chemicals.
Mr. Kangwa said 87,000 liters of chemicals have been distributed while 71,000 liters have so far been sprayed to the affected field’s army worm fields countrywide.
He disclosed that of yesterday, 172,000 hectares of fields have been affected countrywide by army worms with the majority of hectorage being on Copperbelt province.
Kikikiki, the chemicals have not run out, but the district fimofimo was using the few remaining bottles for emergencies, as they await consignment from choma. Who is ignorant between the DC and the law maker on what is going on in their territory?