7000ltrs pesticide dispatched to fight army worms in Southern Province
GOVERNMENT through the ministry of Agriculture has dispatched 7000 litres of Fall Army Worm chemicals to fight the deadly pest from ravaging field crops in Southern Province.
Southern Province Agricultural Coordinator Dr. Max Choombe said the chemicals are being distributed to all the 13 districts and affected farmers in the province to combat the pest.
Dr. Choombe said quantities of chemicals being distributed per district are dependent on reports received from District Agricultural Coordinators in terms of areas affected and also the areas at risk.
He further explained that chemical distribution is also dependent on the number of farmers in a given district because the more the number of farmers the more the infestation.
Dr. Choombe emphasised that the chemicals distributed from the Provincial Office to District Agricultural Coordinators in the province and subsequently to farmers were free and not for sale.
Dr. CHOOMBE told the National Agricultural Information Services that his office has received reports of Fall Army Worm attaches on field crops from most districts in Southern Province adding that infestation is at the small level.
The PACO further pointed out that so far the crop stand in the province is very good for the 2020/2021 season noting that if there will be no floods the province anticipates a bumper harvest.
Dr. CHOOMBE said most of the maize in the field is green and not yellow as it has received fertilizer.
He named the districts to be recipients of the Fall Army Worm chemicals as Kazungula, Livingstone, Zimba, Kalomo, Choma, and Sinazongwe.
Others are Pemba, Namwala, Gwembe, Monze, Chikankata, Mazabuka, and Siavonga.
THE Covid-19 pandemic should be confronted with serious interventions from various sections of society as it has the potential to leave critical sectors of the economy fragmented and devastated, Rotary Club of Kitwe North President Patrick Chilambwe has said.
He said interventions should include sensitizing people in far flung areas in order to reduce the spread of the pandemic which has continued to claim lives and ravaging economies of various countries in the world.
Dr Chilambwe was speaking at the weekend when the Rotary Club of Kitwe North donated 10 bicycles in Lufwanyama district to be used for Covid-19 interventions.
He said it was important that people in areas like lufwanyama were educated about the covid-19 so that they were able to appreciate that the pandemic was real and a threat to human life and world economies. "We decided to donate 10 bicycles for Covid-19 interventions which will include educating the people in far flung areas on the dangers of Covid-19. People need to be sensitized and educated on how Covid-19 is transmitted and how to reduce infection rate. "We donated bicycles because in rural areas bicycles are mostly used. Where a vehicle cannot pass, a bicycle can pass. So in our small and humble way as Rotary we decided to donate the bicycles, “Dr Chilambwe said.
Receiving the bicycles, Lufwanyama District Commissioner (DC), Dorothy Chimpimpi, said the bicycles would be used by health workers to disseminate information about diseases.