PFAG calls on government to declare state of emergency

The government must declare a state of emergency over the invasion of armyworms on farm fields across the country.

This is according to the Programme Officer of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), Charles Nyaaba.

In an interview with Accra-based Joy FM, Nyaaba said government’s assurance that there are enough free chemicals available for farmers to contain the menace is not accurate.

“I must say that I don’t have any concrete evidence to object the figures put out by the Minister. But from what I had from the members, I have reasons to believe that those figures were underestimated.”

“The issue has gone out of control. So let’s declare a state of emergency and then we see how we will mobilise emergency funds, mobilise human resources. We don’t need to sit here and pretend that all is well when our farmers are suffering at the grassroots,” he added.
He added that the chemicals provided by the government are ineffective and that their members have resorted to the use of detergents to combat the situation.

According to the government, over 112,000 hectares of farms have been destroyed by the green-striped caterpillar larvae of moths.
The pests were detected last year, and have since wreaked havoc on farms in all the 10 regions of the country.