MAIZE farmers in Murang’a County, Kenya have called for the government’s intervention to control the spread of fall-army worms which destroy their crops.

The farmers decried the destruction caused by the worms may subject them to hunger in near future.

They complained that some of the pesticides they source from local agro-vets are not effective as even after treating the crop, parts of the plants are completely destroyed by the insects.

One of the farmers from Kiharu area, Josephat Ndirangu decried that almost half of his one-acre maize farm has been destroyed by the fall-army worms.

“I have used various pesticides but they have not been effective. The pesticides are quite expensive, also pushing some of us to employ traditional methods to control the worms,” he said.

The farmer said this season due to destruction of the crops, he is expecting to get not more than two sacks of maize from the farm where he usually gets four or five sacks.

“We want the government to deploy extension officers to visit our farms and advise the right pesticides to use to control the worms,” he said.

Another farmer Peter Macharia said a big part of his maize crop farm was completely destroyed by the worms after he was unable to purchase and spray the crops.

He said the prices are beyond his reach, saying the ministry of agriculture should be spraying farms on behalf of farmers as a way to mitigate food insecurity.

“Prices of the best pesticides are beyond reach to many subsistence farmers. If the government is committed to attain food security there is a need to support us in controlling these insects which are affecting our crops,” he said.

In a rejoinder Murang’a county director of agriculture Peter Muchiri said lower zones of the county have been greatly affected by the fall-army worms.

He said about 20 per cent of maize crops in lower parts of Murang’a so far have been destroyed by the insects adding that the destruction of maize in upper zones is about 10 per cent.

“Maize is commonly grown in parts of Maragua, Kiharu, Kandara and Ithanga. The destruction caused by army worms in these sub-counties is quite high as compared to upper zones due to cold weather,” he said.