brand logo

Battling the Fall Armyworm invasion | Virus vs. GMO seeds

20 Dec 2020

  • Farmers seek compensation for crop loss  
  • Solution by end-December, says Agriculture Department
By Sarah Hannan  The Fall Armyworm (FAW) continues to wreak havoc not only on maize cultivations, but has also progressed into other crop varieties such as bran in the past four weeks. What started off from the Badulla District, crossed into Monaragala, Ampara, Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa, and Anuradhapura as well.  [caption id="attachment_109690" align="alignleft" width="300"] A Fall Armyworm on a cob of maize. Photo courtesy Ada Derana[/caption] While the All-Ceylon Farmers’ Federation speculates that the US is attempting to destroy all heirloom maize varieties from the world by encouraging farmers around the world to cultivate Bt Corn, which is genetically modified to resist pest attacks, the Department of Agriculture is stating that they are looking at introducing a virus to eradicate the FAW.  These methods seem to be the best options, given that even the integrated pest control method seems to have somewhat failed in controlling the spread of the FAW across the island during its second attack.  When The Sunday Morning contacted the Department of Agriculture Director General Dr. W.M.W. Weerakoon regarding the next best options available to control the FAW, he said: "A virus has been synthesised to destroy the FAW, and we have ordered the same, which will arrive in Sri Lanka this week. The virus will be made available to farmers by the last week of December, and it will assist us in eradicating the FAW infestation in Sri Lanka successfully."  As reported on media channels, the Kurunegala, Galgamuwa, and Giribawa areas recorded crop damage of 5,000 acres, with Anuradhapura Mahawilachchiya tracts 6, 7, and 8 recording crop damage of about 100 acres. Dr. Weerakoon, when inquired about the extent of crop damage, said that according to the Agrarian Development Officers visiting the fields, a larger extent of the crops can be saved if the integrated pest control method is followed, and that the maize cultivations are still at a stage where they can be salvaged.  "Our estimation is that only about 5% yield damage would be recorded by the time of harvesting, which is to take place from the end of December to the beginning of January. I must say that many of the farmers who followed the instructions issued by the area agrarian centres have successfully managed to prevent their crops from infestation this time," Dr. Weerakoon elaborated. 

GMO crops 

"There doesn't seem to be an effective pest control method that can be used to eradicate the FAW in Sri Lanka at present. However, it is said that a genetically-modified maize variety known as Bt Corn has been produced in the US, which is found to have a resistance against various pest attacks. We view this as a systematic approach the US is taking to destroy all heirloom maize varieties cultivated across the world," stated All-Ceylon Farmers Federation National Organiser Namal Karunarathne to The Sunday Morning.  Karunaratne stated that in 2018, they had suggested several measures to control the FAW – under the condition that the Government would compensate farmers – including burning infested maize fields or manually removing the FAW from maize crops.   "Although the Government encouraged farmers to grow maize to improve food security in the country during the Covid-19 pandemic, it has so far failed to pay the compensation due for the crop losses incurred during 2018/2019. We cannot blame the Department of Agriculture and the Agrarian Development Officers, as they are only tasked to visit the fields and provide farmers with advice on how to save their crops from the FAW infestations. It is the Government that needs to be blamed, as the farmers have not been compensated," Karunarathne reiterated.  He added that there are also other teething issues that farmers are facing, with the maize seed packs increasing in price by Rs. 2,000. This means that a 5 kg seed pack, which was Rs. 6,200, is now sold at Rs. 8,200. The labour costs too have increased, which has placed farmers in a vulnerable position, especially when the crops they grow are destroyed by pests.  He further said that the Government should consider paying a minimum of Rs. 75,000 per acre in compensation, so that the farmers could adopt the integrated pest control methods to avoid FAW infestations, and be better equipped when the next cultivation cycle commences. The Damana area in Ampara cultivates the most amount of maize, and at least 50% of these cultivations have been infested by the FAW, with other areas reporting 20-25% crop damage.   "The Department of Agriculture says it will introduce a virus to eradicate the FAW, but we can only know whether it will have any effect during the next cultivation cycle," Karunarathne noted.  Although former Minister of Agriculture P. Harrison said that the Yahapalana Government would allocate Rs. 50 million to provide compensation for the damage caused by the FAW invasion, as Karunaratne pointed out, there is at least Rs. 33 million yet to be settled.  "The previous Government failed farmers, but should the current Government also fail farmers, we are ready to take legal action against the Ministry of Agriculture for ignoring the needs of the farmers, and forcing them to drown in a mountain of debt," he added. 

Politicians on the field 

State Minister Duminda Dissanayake earlier last week visited his constituency in Anuradhapura and inspected several maize cultivations to inquire into the rapidly spreading FAW infestation.   The farmers pointed out to the Minister that their crops were infested with FAW that had invaded the chenas in large numbers, while the FAW had damaged the bark and leaves of the maize stalks. They also stated that the FAW infestation could not be controlled, even with pesticides.   Amidst the field visit, Dissanayake contacted the Department of Agriculture Director General Dr. Weerakoon, who had informed the State Minister that the Department of Agriculture was intervening to control the caterpillar in the areas where extensive FAW invasions were recorded.   "We believe that farmers should be protected and compensated by the State during such a pest disaster. The Government should provide them the necessary compensation immediately. But at the same time, farmers should take all possible measures to protect their crops. Therefore, I urge all farmers to do their utmost to protect their crops from the Fall Armyworm infestation while they wait for Government assistance," Dissanayake noted. 

Some facts about Bt Corn 

Bt corn is genetically engineered to produce insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). In simple terms, scientists combine corn genes and bacteria genes to make corn that kills the bugs that eat it.   The Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacteria strains occur naturally in soil, and was registered for use as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1961. Meanwhile, Bt corn was introduced to the market in 1996. There is Bt sweet corn that is consumed directly by people, and Bt field corn, which is used in fuel, animal feed, other products, and processed foods.  The Bt affects the larval (caterpillar or grub stage) of the insect. The Bt toxins dissolve in the alkaline insect gut, become active, and punch holes in the gut lining. The spores spread out of the gut and germinate in the insect, killing the insect within days of ingestion.  The case for Bt corn has always been that it reduces the uses of more toxic, non-specific pesticides. As of 2018, about 82% of the corn produced in the US was genetically modified to include Bt (Bt corn hybrids), according to the USDA.   However, the pollen from Bt corn also kills monarch butterflies. Milkweed is a common weed around the edges of corn fields. Pollen drifts onto the milkweed, and the monarch caterpillars eat it and die. Other species are also affected, like painted ladies, who lay their eggs on thistles, and foraging bees, who would carry this drifting pollen back to the hive, resulting in colony collapse disorder. A recent Australian study compared pigs fed a diet of genetically-modified grains against pigs fed non-GMO grains (including Bt corn). The pigs eating GM grains showed much higher levels of severe stomach inflammation.   


More News..