Govt. extends war on Fall Army Worm
The Government has extended the campaign to eliminate the Fall Army Worm ( Sena Dalambuwa), a senior official of the Agriculture Department said.
Agriculture Department Director General W M W Weerakoon said they had extended the campaign as they were concerned the worm would turn to paddy crops after destroying the maize.
“We are deploying field officers to monitor the crop damage and to assess the spread of the worm,” he said.
He also said that university agriculture faculty students were also visiting farmers to educate them on the issues concerned.
The DG said the programme was earlier planned for two weeks, it was now being extended to control the worm which was spreading to other areas and other crops also.
He said he would also brief the presidential task force on Friday on the measures being taken to overcome the crisis.
Agricultural Minister P Harission said that the government had decided to offer Rs 40,000 per acre of farm land if the land was fully damaged. If the lesser amount was damaged, the government would estimate the compensation accordingly.
He said Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had requested him to submit a weekly situation report on the crisis and the compensation being paid.
Meanwhile the Minister has urged the farming community not to use powerful pesticides as there were only five suitable pesticides that could eliminate the worm.
The minister said powerful pesticides could kill the worm but they could also poison the crops. Therefore he advised the farmers to use the five pesticides recommended by the government.