SOWEDA offers farmers insecticide to fight caterpillar attacks on cocoa farms.

The insecticide was handed over to the South West Regional Delegation of Agriculture and Rural Development for deployment in the affected communities. It was donated by the South West Development Authority, SOWEDA, on Tuesday December 17.

For more than a month, the caterpillar attacks have affected farmers mostly in Muyuka Subdivision, one of the most important cocoa basins in terms of cocoa production. The exfoliating caterpillars started in Maumu and have since spread to Ekona and other farming communities.

The caterpillars, according to Eposi Ndive epse Lyonga, the Regional Chief of Phytosanitary Base at the South West Regional Delegation of Agriculture and Rural Development, have affected more than 1,000 hectares of cocoa farms in Ekona. 

“The attacks have started spreading to neighbouring villages like Owe, Ikata, Bafia and Munyenge and we fear that it may spread to Mbonge Subdivision in Meme Division another important cocoa production zone,” she explained

Eposi Ndive said due that because of these attacks, that farmers have been in despair, because the service of the phytosanitary base in charge of interventions for pests and outbreaks has been hindered by the lack of security stock, making them unable to intervene immediately. Muyuka, she added, was an endemic zone because similar attacks were recorded in 2018. 

On his part, Bayoh Etane, Chief of Service for Seed Multiplication at SOWEDA, representing the General Manager of SOWEDA, said the donation was a fulfilment of their mission to support farmers in distress.

He explained that the institution got a distress signal from the South West Regional Delegation of Agriculture and Rural Development about an insect caterpillar attack in Muyuka Subdivision prompting their intervention.

“…the management of SOWEDA decided to mobilise some insecticides to support the Regional Delegation to combat the outbreak of these insects, which hurt the lives of farmers,” Bayoh said.

He explained that SOWEDA was handing the insecticides to the delegation because it has the competence and resources through its phytosanitary brigade, and the communities involved to follow up the application on the field. 

“We have provided 150 litres of insecticide, which we are recommending that they use to cover at least 800 hectares of cocoa farmland,” he noted

Speaking to the press on how the insecticides will be used, Eposi Ndive explained that the delegation will activate its phytosanitary intervention brigades made up of community and cooperative members who own cocoa farms in all the affected communities. The units, she said, will ensure that no farm is left out of the intervention.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3326 of Friday December 20, 2024