UN signs $2 million pacts with Tanzania to curb armyworms

Dar es Salaam. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has signed two agreements worth $2 million (Sh4.5 billion) with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Development aimed at boosting the surveillance of Fall Armyworm (FAW) across the country.

This was revealed on Wednesday, September 27, during the signing ceremony held in Dar es Salaam. One of the agreements is known as the Climate Smart Agriculture, which is worth $500,000. It is supported by United States Department of Agriculture.

The second agreement, which is worth $1.5million and is supported by the European Union, is known as Value Chain Development for Rice in Iringa Region.

During the event, FAO handed over fall pheromone traps to the Agriculture ministry to be used for the surveillance of fall armyworm (FAW) infestation in the country.

The 216 traps would also be used to determine the gravity of the problem and provide information necessary for designing future interventions.

Speaking during the handover event in Dar es Salaam, FAO Country Representative Fred Kafeero said that the traps were part of the efforts by the UN agency in addressing the FAW threat in Tanzania.

“Fall armyworm, which is mostly associated with the Americas, is a new threat in Southern Africa and we are very concerned with the emergence, intensity and spread of the pest,” said Mr Kafeero.

“It is only a matter of time before most of the region is affected, and the costs and implications on food security and livelihoods could be very serious,’’ he added.

For his part, Agriculture ministry’s Permanent Secretary Mathew Mtigumwe said the support by FAO had come at the right time when there are reports of invasion of the pests in some parts of Tanzania.

“Although it is too early to know the long-term impact of fall armyworm on agricultural production and food security in the country, its potential to cause serious damage and yield losses is very alarming. These traps will help us determine the extent of the problem and provide information necessary for designing interventions,” he said.

The fall armyworm impact on crops and infestations has been identified in several regions both in uni-modal rainfall areas such as Songwe, Katavi, Mbeya, Iringa, Njombe, Ruvuma, Lindi, Mtwara, Morogoro and Rukwa regions; and in bi-modal rainfall areas such as Arusha, Manyara, Shinyanga, Kilimanjaro and Tanga.

Mr Mtigumwe said that Tanzania is working with other stakeholders, including FAO, to gather and analyse experiences and best practices that will help to design and test a sustainable FAW management programme for smallholders in the country.