ESAT News (June 20, 2017)
The United Nations warns that armyworm infestation is currently wreaking havoc on season crops across six regions in Ethiopia and is spreading at an alarming rate.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Monday that the armyworm was first reported in Yeki woreda of Sheka zone, Southern region of Ethiopia in February. Sheka zone is one of the surplus producing areas in the region along with Bench Maji and Keffa zones.
The office said the infestation has since spread to Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz, Gambella, Oromia and Tigray regions.
At present, more than 145,000 hectares of maize crop across 233 woredas in 35 zones is reportedly affected nationwide. In Southern Ethiopia region alone, all zones are impacted to varying degrees and at least 5,653 hectares of belg cropland is infested, affecting some 20,000 households, according to the Humanitarian Affairs Office.
The Office warned that poor belg rains coupled with armyworm damages will likely significantly reduce projected belg harvest this year.
The government has called on additional stakeholders’ participation to protect major maize growing areas from complete damage, it was learnt.
The number of people receiving humanitarian assistance has increased from 5.6 million to 7.8 million in the first quarter of the year, mainly due to poor performing spring rains, and is expected to heighten further in the second half of the year.
The U.N. called for urgent increase in funding in particular to address immediate requirements for food and nutrition, as well as clean drinking water, much of which, it said, is being delivered long distances by truck as regular wells have dried up.