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Fear grips Melut farmers as pests devastate farms

Author: Michael Daniel | Published: October 28, 2024

Photo by Office of Melut Commissioner

Local officials in Upper Nile’s Melut County have raised an alarm over the threats posed by pests to 560 thousand acres of farmland, putting half of this year’s crop production at risk of destruction.

They say the severe pest invasion by birds, locusts, rats, and monkeys, has left local farmers facing potential crop losses.

Local officials emphasize the need for immediate support to prevent further destruction of essential crops and ensure food security for the county.

The Commissioner of Melut County, Chok Zain Arop, urgently called on state and national governments to provide immediate support to save crops from the severe pest infestations.

Arop warned that without swift intervention, the county faces substantial crop losses, threatening food security for this agricultural season.

” We appeal to the state and national governments to urgently rescue the situation because if this situation continues.

“We will be exposed to losing the crops at the county level for this agricultural season, and we will not even be able to obtain the crops that were planted in August due to birds and crop pests in the absence of urgent intervention from the government”, he said.

On his part, the County Director of Agriculture, Gout Mayiik, reported that 560,000 acres were cultivated this season.

However, he cautioned that crop production could be reduced by half due to various pests, including locusts, mice, monkeys, and an overwhelming bird population.

He says these pests have significantly affected crops, particularly corn, which have been broken and damaged.

“The cultivated area here in the province is 560 thousand acres. Our expectation at the beginning of this pest, we can secure high productivity for perhaps fifty per cent of the produced crop, but now the number of pests is threatening our crop production”, said Mayiik.

In response, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says it is preparing to send a spray plane to Renk County next week.

Nyok Deng Ayiik, chairperson of the Renk Farmers Union, confirmed that FAO had promised pest control assistance this season, with local farmers estimating a potential 90% crop success rate but expressing concern about ongoing threats from pests.

This coordinated effort is viewed as critical in ensuring a successful harvest and maintaining agricultural productivity in the region.

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