By GIDEON NYENDWA
Chemicals used to spray army worms by the agricultural department in Chama district are not effective because the insects are not dying, Chama North Member of Parliament Yotam Mtayachalo has said.
Mr Mtayachalo said that the army worms were destroying fields of maize despite the spraying by the agricultural department.
He said that the insects would ravage all farms if the situation was not handled properly and quickly.
Mr Mtayachalo said that villages like Mbang’andwe, Katangalika and Zobole of Mwalala ward of Chama North constituency were the most hit the invasion of the worms.
He said that he was working with the District Commissioner (DC) for Chama to organise a quick response to the problem they were facing.
Mr Mtayachalo said that if the issue of armyworms was not handled properly, the food security would be compromised.
He also said that government should come up with an immediate response to combat the invasion of the armyworms in the maize fields’ country wide because the way the insects were destroying crops would undermine the food security of the nation.
Mr Mtayachalo said he was happy with the response that the Chama DC, Mr Yobe Goma, and the area councilor Mr Peter Mvula for the role they were playing in response to the prevention of the armyworms from destroying the crops.
Meanwhile Mr Mtayachalo said that same places in his constituency risk being cut off from the rest of the country because with the onset of the rains some roads were impassable because crossing points on the roads were not worked on.
He said places like Nkhankaha and Chibale have no alternative routes and resident are worried about being cut off from the rest of the country.
Mr Mtayachalo said that government should quickly release funding to pay the contractor because the said road were important because medical supplies to the area use the same route.
