Armyworm invasion: Government allays food shortage fears

Government has assured the public that the invasion of fall army worms in some parts of the country will not lead to food shortage.

According to the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Sagre Bambangi, even though a total of 112,000 hectares of farmland have been affected, out of which 14,430 have been completely destroyed, it wouldn’t cause any shortage in food across the country.

Despite the interventions by government, stakeholders in the agricultural sector have on several occasions called for compensation for farmers affected by the fall army worm invasion.

Speaking to Class News after answering a question on the floor of parliament, he said affected farmers “will have problems of food insecurity but overall we don’t expect that we will have problems with food insecurity because some farmers’ increase in output will compensate for the losses”.

He said the increase in yields is as a result of the availability of affordable fertilisers and coupled with the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative by government, enough food will be available by the end of the cropping season.

Dr Bambangi said the ministry would continue to monitor the situation to be able to act swiftly in response to any development related to the infestation.

“We have the tools ready to combat it, so if it is reported in any district and any community then the farmers should quickly draw the attention of the District Agric office,” Dr Bambangi said.