Panic in Mbarali as quelea birds devastate rice fields

Mbarali. Rice farmers in Mbarali District, Mbeya Region, are in panic after quelea birds invaded their fields just ahead of the harvest season, threatening to destroy entire crops and inflict significant losses.

These small migratory birds are notorious for causing extensive damage to cereal crops.

This year’s invasion has coincided with the critical grain-ripening stage, prompting desperate farmers to guard their farms overnight and hire labourers to drive the birds away.

Farmers who spoke to The Citizen’s sister publication, Mwananchi, expressed growing concern over the situation.

One of the affected farmers, Mr David Mkeya, said his chances of harvesting a viable crop were rapidly diminishing despite making a heavy investment in rice production.

“These birds appear suddenly during the milking stage of the rice when the grain is maturing,” said Mr Mkeya.

“We don’t even know where they come from. The damage is severe and threatens our entire harvest. But we are grateful for the swift intervention by the government through the Ministry of Agriculture,” he added.

Mr Mkeya commended the Desert Locust Control Organisation for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) and the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) for setting up an operational base in the Kapunga rice fields to combat the birds.

Another farmer, Mr Shukuru Nzunda, shared similar frustrations, stating that farmers have resorted to overnight vigils in the fields to protect their crops.

“We’ve had to hire casual workers and even camp in the fields ourselves at night because these birds strike mostly in the early morning and late evening,” said Mr Nzunda.

“We appreciate Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe for acting promptly. These birds, along with locusts, always pose threats during harvest time,” he added.

DLCO-EA Manager, Mr Didas Mushi, confirmed the severity of the outbreak, revealing that the organisation had set up bases in Kapunga and Madibira to control the birds.

“These are transboundary migratory pests that arrive from various countries,” said Mr Mushi.

“Our team, together with TPHPA, is working to suppress them. We’ve already deployed our aircraft in Mbeya and started spraying operations in Madibira and Kapunga,” he added.

Mr Mushi added that quelea birds affect 18 of Tanzania’s 26 regions, unveiling plans to move to Singida after Mbeya.

“Alongside quelea birds, we monitor locusts, armyworms, and tsetse flies across nine East African countries, including Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania,” he said.

TPHPA Manager for Southern Highlands Zone, Mr Pius Kawala, said a specialised pesticide known as ‘Queletox’ is being used following the identification of nesting and breeding sites.

“We are also working on acquiring Tanzanian aircraft to boost long-term capacity, rather than relying on leased ones from Ethiopia,” said Mr Kawala.

“Farmers should remain confident, as the government is committed to ensuring a productive harvest season,” added Mr Kawala.

Meanwhile, DLCO-EA pilot Eutychos Ruigu cited weather conditions as a significant obstacle to aerial spraying efforts.

“The mission is progressing well, despite some weather-related difficulties. We mainly target the birds in their roosting areas during early mornings and evenings,” he said.