Proliferation of animal pests

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, in an update this week, confirmed the deployment of over 13,151 liters of specialized chemicals to combat a locust outbreak that has been threatening the Zambezi region since January.
According to the Ministry, by 2 March, intervention teams had successfully treated 7,124 hectares of land. 1,414 hectares were sprayed via drones, and ground teams covered 5,710 hectares.
According to the ministry, of the sprayed area, 2,769 hectares were crop fields, while 4,355 hectares were grazing areas.
“The chemicals being used are Deltanex 15UL and Decis, which are yellow labels (Environmentally friendly). The chemicals are very effective in controlling the African Migratory Locust and any other pest, such as Fall Army Worm and Green Grasshoppers, that were observed in the crop fields of the farmers,” the Ministry noted.
Since the beginning of this outbreak, the Ministry has been intervening by spraying the affected areas of Muyako, Chinchimani, and Masokwani.
This intervention continued until early March but has since been disrupted by the seasonal floods currently affecting the region.
The Ministry is expected to continue spraying against the locusts once the flood water has subsided to a level that will allow access to the affected areas. The Ministry continues to engage with the affected community members.