Grasshoppers ravage farms in Gombe

Grasshoppers have ravaged many farms in Shongom and Balanga Local Government Areas of Gombe State, an official, Mr Sunday Lah, has said.

Lah told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Friday that the damage was more devastating in Burak and Dadiya villages where the grasshoppers ravaged all crops planted.

“The farms in those areas were completely ravaged because the incident was high and alarming, nothing was left for farmers.

“The grasshoppers ravaged all the farms in the areas and crops like Soya Beans, Maize, Sorghum were completely eaten up,” he said.

Lah who is the Director Extension Service in the State Agriculture Development Project, explained that the affected farmers had opted to plant sesame “because there is nothing left for them to harvest at the end of the day.”

He called for “appropriate measures” to curtail the grasshoppers to forestall further damages to farms.

The director further disclosed that in Dukku LGA, farmers are contending with the problem of serious case of worms infestations that had also destroyed many crops.

He said that farmers have been advised to use insecticides  to curtail the prevalence of the grasshoppers and worms pending when government conduct aerial spray to destroy the pests.

“Definitely if the whole place is ravaged, the crop yield will be zero and food security impaired thereby posing threats to human lives,” he said.

Lah therefore called on Government at all level to look at the issue with all seriousness (NAN)