{"id":65118,"date":"2024-03-15T16:41:26","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T16:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/locusts-destroy-zambezi-crop-fields"},"modified":"2024-03-15T17:02:25","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T17:02:25","slug":"locusts-destroy-zambezi-crop-fields","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/locusts-destroy-zambezi-crop-fields","title":{"rendered":"Locusts destroy Zambezi crop fields"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>Many crop farmers in Zambezi are on the verge of starvation due to the outbreak of migratory red locusts detected in the region, which have caused havoc in crop fields. The affected farmers expressed fear of severe hunger because of the swarms of locusts which invaded their fields, compounded by the effects of a lack of rain in the region. Rainfall has been below average since January to date, which caused many crops to dry up due to the scorching sun.<\/p>\n

On a good harvest, these farmers would produce up to 98 bags of maize, which they sell to the Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA) and local millers.<\/p>\n

A 50kg bag of maize costs anything between N$300 to N$500.<\/p>\n

An affected farmer, 71-year-old Zock Matengu from Kanono, said this year\u2019s drought is unprecedented.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am farming in the Kweha area. To tell you the truth, we have never seen such a situation. I am 71 years old, but I have never seen this. If the government doesn\u2019t feed people, they will die. Even I am going to die if we don\u2019t get food urgently. You can plough 20 hectares, but you will get a zero harvest. The problem is there has been no rain since January up to now. Government must come and help us to save lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He ploughed seven hectares, but the locusts have also invaded his field.<\/p>\n

The agriculture ministry reported that there is a presence of African migratory red locusts in some parts of the Zambezi region, as well as in the Ohangwena region.<\/p>\n

Agriculture ministry executive director Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata said the locusts have been detected and reported from 29 February 2024 in Zambezi; mainly around Lake Liambezi and Old Masokotwani, destroying maize crops.<\/p>\n

The ministry found that approximately 10 hectares of crop fields have been destroyed.<\/p>\n

New Era this week visited some of the affected crop farmers in Old Masokotwani, Kanono, Shaile and Chinchimani, who shared their sad tales as these locusts continue to terrorise their fields.<\/p>\n

Although the agriculture ministry announced that they deployed extension officers to affected areas in Zambezi, some farmers expressed disappointment that the officials never visited their farms to spray and try to save their crops.<\/p>\n

One such devasted crop farmer is 29-year-old Mwanangobe Pumulo, who farms maize on 11-hectare farmland in Old Masokotwani.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome grasshoppers are flying around and eating my maize. I reported this to the ministry of agriculture, but they did not come to help me so that the locusts could stop eating my crops. I reported the matter two weeks ago. I expect these locusts will eat the whole system of my farm. I lost half of a hectare. They are still busy eating day and night,\u201d Pumulo complained as he hopelessly watched the locusts devouring his maize.<\/p>\n

Another affected farmer is induna (headman) Chrispin Mweti of Mweti village.<\/p>\n

He said he started ploughing in November last year. However, the rain was insufficient.<\/p>\n

\u201cDecember, we got small showers, and then it disappeared until now. The fields are completely dry. We are affected here. We don\u2019t have food. We don\u2019t have even little grains. Government must look at us, otherwise people will die,\u201d he expressed.<\/p>\n

On the locusts, he said they noticed the swarms as early as January, and these started invading the fields in February.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe reported the matter to agriculture, but we are still waiting. These locusts are going to breed and cover the whole area of Zambezi. The result will be complete hunger. The government must support us and get us an areophane to spray as it\u2019s a big area. Vehicle spraying will not be helpful now. Even workers will not manage. If we get a plane, it\u2019s better,\u201d he pleaded.<\/p>\n

He also asked whether the government could install a community borehole, as humans and livestock have no drinking water. The people of Old Masokotwani and nearby areas depend on digging wells in search of water for their consumption and their animals.<\/p>\n

Unemployed Mwaka Mautu is also devasted by locusts which invaded her field.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how I can survive this year. There will be no harvest. I noticed worms in January and February while I was weeding. They enter the maize stalks and eat the heart of the plant, and it dies. I planted two hectares, and it is all destroyed. I lost the whole two hectares,\u201d she lamented.<\/p>\n

She said on a good harvest, she produces 78 bags of maize.<\/p>\n

Mautu also reported the matter to the agriculture ministry on Monday, and is still waiting for them to come and spray her field so that the eggs can be destroyed with the hope that next year, she can replant her maize.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am asking assistance from the government in terms of providing seeds for next year. I used a private tractor to plough, which is expensive [N$1 200 per hectare]. Where will I get money again\u201d? I lost N$2 000 on weeding the field,\u201d she complained.<\/p>\n

Another farmer with a disability, Pumulo Mweti, expressed sadness when he looked at his crop field dry up day by day due to a lack of rainfall.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy heart is broken. You can see I am using an artificial leg, but I worked so hard. The rain, however, stopped around December. The whole of January and February, it didn\u2019t rain. I ploughed 12 hectares, but I wasted my money, as I will get nothing here. Even my sunflowers dried up. I am not employed. I normally sell maize from my field. This year, I won\u2019t get anything. There is no source of water we can use to irrigate the fields. We need food otherwise, we will die of hunger. I have children to feed,\u201d Mweti stated.<\/p>\n

He is thus pleading with the government to assist him with maize seeds for the next ploughing season.<\/p>\n

Brenda Bwendo, an unemployed woman, said she noticed the locusts last week, and they have destroyed her crops as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am affected by locusts and the sun that burned my maize. I ploughed six hectares, but I don\u2019t see any harvest here. On a good harvest, I used to get 180 bags of 50kg maize, which I would sell to AMTA to sustain my family. Now, we have nothing. Government must come help spray our fields,\u201d she pleaded.<\/p>\n

Other affected communal farmers are around Kapani, Linyanti, Nakabolelwa, Masikili, Isuswa, Ioma, Mutikitila, Ibbu, Mahundu, Ngala, Kapani, Chinchimani, Singobeka, Maunga, Sangwali and Oshikunde (in Ohangwena).<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. Many crop farmers in Zambezi are on the verge of starvation due to the outbreak of migratory red locusts detected in the region, which have caused havoc in crop fields. The affected farmers expressed fear of severe hunger because of the swarms of locusts which invaded their fields, compounded by the effects […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":65117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[234,236,233],"class_list":["post-65118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-namibia","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nLocusts destroy Zambezi crop fields - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many crop farmers in Zambezi are on the verge of starvation due to the outbreak of migratory red locusts detected in the ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/locusts-destroy-zambezi-crop-fields\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Locusts destroy Zambezi crop fields\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many crop farmers in Zambezi are on the verge of starvation due to the outbreak of migratory red locusts detected in the ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/locusts-destroy-zambezi-crop-fields\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-15T16:41:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-03-15T17:02:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/03\/sm_1710509417.65362.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"478\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/locusts-destroy-zambezi-crop-fields#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/locusts-destroy-zambezi-crop-fields\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Locusts destroy Zambezi crop fields\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-15T16:41:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-15T17:02:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/locusts-destroy-zambezi-crop-fields\"},\"wordCount\":1092,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/locusts-destroy-zambezi-crop-fields#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/03\/sm_1710509417.65362.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"africa press\",\"Africa Press-Namibia\",\"namibia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/locusts-destroy-zambezi-crop-fields#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/locusts-destroy-zambezi-crop-fields\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/locusts-destroy-zambezi-crop-fields\",\"name\":\"Locusts destroy Zambezi crop fields - 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