Ministry assesses areas damaged by locusts

RUNDU - The ministry of agriculture in Kavango East is busy assessing the areas where damage was caused during the African migratory red locust outbreak in the region.

The locusts have migrated from Kavango East but continue to invade the Kavango West region, agricultural scientific officer in the ministry Katrina Moses, told on Tuesday.

Moses said the locusts migrated to Kavango West from 7 March and since then, the ministry has not received reports from community members on locust sightings in Kavango East.

“Right now we are just busy verifying and assessing those areas where damage was caused in order to determine how many crop fields were affected by the locust invasion,” she said.

Moses said the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) needs this data in order to prepare for the distribution of drought relief aid.

Once the size of the damaged crops has been ascertained, the ministry will hand over the information to the regional council, which will in turn forward it to the OPM.

Meanwhile in the Kavango West region, Moses said the ministry’s spraying teams are still active on the ground.

“Yesterday we managed to spray at least 20 hectares of crop fields at Naimanya village,” she said.

She explained that the teams monitor where the locusts settle at night as the spraying can only be conducted early in the morning.

On Tuesday, locusts were spotted at Sikarosompo, Moses said.