KATIMA MULILO  – Seasonal flooding has halted the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform’s spraying campaign against a locust outbreak currently threatening the Zambezi region.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, in a media release on Tuesday said since the beginning of the outbreak, the ministry has intervened by spraying the affected areas of Muyako, Chinchimani and Masokwani.

He said the outbreak has been affecting crop fields and ultimately the livelihoods of the inhabitants of the region since January.

“This intervention continued until the beginning of March and has since been disrupted by seasonal floods currently being experienced in the region,” he said, highlighting that in total, the teams identified an area of 32 896 hectares and by 2 March, a total 7 124 hectares had been sprayed, comprising 5 710 hectares by ground teams and 1 414 hectares using drones.

According to Muyunda, of the sprayed area, 2 769 hectares were crop fields, while 4 355 hectares were grazing areas with a total of 13 151 litres of chemicals (12 589 litres of Deltanex and 562 litres of Decis) were applied.

Muyunda said that while the ministry is monitoring the situation, staff members continue to engage with farmers to create awareness on the locust infestation, combating and withdrawal period for human and livestock to move away from the sprayed areas.

“The chemicals being used are Deltanex 15UL and Decis which are yellow labels (Environmentally friendly). The chemicals are very effective in controlling African Migratory Locust and any other pest such as Fall Army Worm and Green Grasshoppers, that were observed in the crop filed of the farmers,” said.

He added that the ministry will continue with spraying against the locust once the flood water has subsided to a level that will allow access to the affected areas while engaging with the affected community members. 

-Nampa