Spreading insect attack destroys crops in Samangan

AIBAK (Pajhwok): Farmers in tens of villages around the capital of northwestern Samangan province say their wheat and barely grain crops cultivated over hundreds of acres of land have been destroyed by a type of worm.

Rahmatullah, 61, the head of development council for Tasmai village of Aibak, the provincial capital, told Pajhwok Afghan News a type of worm and bug attacked and destroyed their wheat and barely farmlands over the past four weeks.

He said the plague had affected crops in dozens of villages of Taikhonak, Saharikyar, Manqotan, and Rabatak areas in the provincial capital. The pest attack has so far damaged the two crops on hundreds of acres of land.

Shahzada, a farmer in Sharikyar village of Aibak, confirmed a kind of worm destroyed his wheat and barely crops on 4.5 acres of land, He said the pests had been damaging people’s crops over the past three years.

Shah Mohammad, a farmer in Manqotan village, said the destructive insects had annihilated 33 percent of crops in the village.

Gulabuddin Ghiyasi, plant-protection manager at the provincial Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Department, acknowledged that a gray-reddish worm and gray bugs had emerged in Dokoh, Sharikar, and Akhta villages two years ago. The bug was called ‘ant’ by farmers.

Ghiyasi said his department’s team was assessing the issue and in case it was serious, a campaign would be launched against the destructive pests.

He said he had reported the matter to the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL)’s main plant-protection department.

sns/ma

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