By Sarah Hannan
Last week, the Sri Lanka Army announced the establishment of the Agriculture and Livestock Corps and also hosted the Rwanda Defence Force officials who visited the country on the request of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to share insight on how to tackle the Fall armyworm (FAW) menace, raising questions as to why the military has been tasked to solve a pest issue.
The Department of Agriculture seems to have been left in the dark, as the Government had decided to involve the Army in finding a solution to the FAW menace which the farmers of the country are currently burdened with.
The high level of military involvement in the flyby visit of the Rwanda Defence Force officials, led by Brig. Gen. Fred Muziraguharara, on a two-day fact-finding mission on the FAW invasion in Sri Lanka, was a topic of conversation last week.
[caption id="attachment_112855" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Sri Lanka Army Commander Gen. Shavendra Silva and Rwanda Defence Force Brig. Gen. Fred Muziraguharara and Horizon Group COO Alexis Rusagara held a courtesy meeting at the Defense HQ in Battaramulla, PHOTO ©️ Sri Lanka Army [/caption]
The Rwandan officials had been escorted by the Sri Lanka Army to the maize cultivations that were affected by the FAW attacks, and as The Sunday Morning reliably learnt, only the introductory presentation was conducted in the presence of military officials, with the participation of Ministry of Agriculture and Department of Agriculture officials.
The military involvement becomes quite apparent since in 2017, the Defence Force of Rwanda was tasked to eradicate the FAW invasion that settled in Rwanda.
Furthermore, it is the Rwanda Defence Force-affiliated company Sopyrwa that had produced the Pyrethrum EWC+ pesticide, which was later used to mitigate the FAW invasion in Rwanda.
Following the official visit, Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage, during one of his area development meetings held in his constituency last week, assured that the officials only arrived to share their technical know-how and did not have the pesticide in tow with them, nor had such a chemical been distributed to the farmers during their field visits in Anuradhapura.
No discussion following Rwandan visit
The Sunday Morning contacted Sri Lanka Army Commander Gen. Shavendra Silva to inquire whether there was any discussion following the Rwandan Defence Force officials fact-finding visit.
"We are yet to have further discussions based on the facts they observed. I can assure you that we have not taken any initiative to bring down the pesticide that is used in Rwanda as well. A meeting will be held in due course regarding this with the Ministry of Agriculture officials. We will not intervene in the pest management that the Department of Agriculture already has in place."
Dept. of Agriculture not consulted
When The Sunday Morning contacted Department of Agriculture Director General Dr. W.M.W. Weerakoon to inquire whether any decision was reached regarding seeking assistance from Rwanda or following the same pest control method they had employed, we were informed that Dr. Weerakoon was only invited for the presentation and was not part of the discussions that took place between the defence officials thereafter.
“I am not in a position to respond as I was not briefed on the points that were discussed nor was I consulted as to whether Sri Lanka could employ the same method of pest management as Rwanda. Moreover, following their field visit, the Rwandan delegation did not share any of the facts they uncovered with our Department. However, it is said that the team briefed the Army Commander during their courtesy meeting,” Dr. Weerakoon explained.
Since the FAW invasion was detected in the country in 2018, it was the Horticultural Crop Research and Development Institute (HORDI) that conducted studies and formulated the integrated pest control method that is currently in use to address the FAW issue.
However, HORDI experts too had not been consulted regarding importing the technical know-how or a pesticide to tackle the FAW invasion.
HORDI Principal Scientist – Entomology Senani Weligamage, when inquired by The Sunday Morning on how effective a pyrethrins-based pesticide could be when applied to Sri Lanka’s maize cultivations, said: “The pesticide includes pyrethrins which is a refined extract of pyrethrum and is toxic not only for the Fall armyworm caterpillar, but would also destroy arthropods, bees, and other insects that are beneficial to the growth of a plant and to keep the soil fertile. This type of pesticide should never be administered on a mass scale, and is only recommended to be applied in isolated localities if required.”
FAW here to stay
Additionally, Weligamage explained that since the FAW invasion is already settled in Sri Lanka, quick-fix pest control methods will not be the most effective, adding that an integrated pest control method should be employed.
“In the case of using pyrethrins, all insects that come into contact with it can ingest the pesticide through contact or by consuming the leaves that the pesticide has been sprayed on (stomach poisoning). Therefore, if you take a bee that is going to help with the pollination process, it too could die if it comes in contact with pollen that has the pesticide sprayed on. That will in return threaten the biodiversity of the country,” Weligamage stressed.
Even Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources at the time, Gérardine Mukeshimana had said: “Most of the farmers have learnt how to deal with it by collecting and destroying caterpillars and young moths as well as by spraying pesticide on the infected maize. But, the Fall armyworm is still a threat. We need farmers to be prepared to fight it early enough before it wreaks havoc.”
In March 2018, the Rwandan Government, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), launched a campaign to install pheromone traps to catch moths, which Sri Lanka currently employs as part of the integrated pest control solution that is in place to tackle the FAW invasion.
Not only pesticides
Given that more than 98% of maize farmers in Rwanda and most African countries are small landholders growing maize on less than two hectares of land and saving seeds to plant the next crop, Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources has asked the farmers to visit their crops regularly to observe if they have caterpillars and remove them by spraying pesticide as well as manually. If the caterpillars have grown beyond the life cycle, the pesticides would be effective.
According to the FAO, challenges in mitigating FAW damage include, among others, the lack of the following: Co-ordination at global, regional, and national levels; effective monitoring and control techniques; and effective phytosanitary measures and capacity at national level.
Due to its voracious nature and broad host range, the FAW has been designated as one of the 10 worst pests and diseases threatening global food security (CABI, 2018) and livelihoods. It is estimated that the FAW has the potential to destroy up to 80 million tonnes of maize worth $ 18 billion per year, affecting about 600 million people in Africa, the Asia Pacific, and the Near East.
Farmer compensation expedited
Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage stated that all measures have been taken to prevent the damage caused by the Fall armyworm (FAW) to maize cultivation in the Maha season which has commenced.
The worst-affected districts by the FAW menace have been identified as Ampara, Monaragala, Anuradhapura, and Kurunegala, and field officers in the relevant areas were instructed to carry out the assessment of the cultivated lands damaged by the FAW menace with immediate effect.
“We have allocated a sum of Rs. 6 million to all provincial councils where the FAW invasion was reported and necessary steps are being taken to protect the farmers from this menace. All compensation for crop damage will definitely be paid to farmers after an accurate assessment is made,” Minister Aluthgamage told The Sunday Morning.
The Minister further stated that a new scheme has already been introduced through the Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board to provide compensation to all farmers within a month after the assessment is completed and when the yields are harvested.
“We understand that there have been delays in paying farmers' compensation for crop damages and sometimes it takes up to three to four months to release their compensation monies. With the new system that is to be implemented in 2021 by the Agricultural (and Agrarian) Insurance Board and relevant field officials, compensation payments will be made to the farmers within one month from when crop loss assessments are submitted,” Aluthgamage reiterated.
Crop damage assessment post-harvest
When The Sunday Morning inquired from State Ministry of Development of Sugarcane, Maize, Cashew, Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, and Betel Production, and the Promotion of Allied Products and Export Director – Development Ransilu Watawala for an update on the extent of the damages, he stated: "The expected yield of a hectare of maize cultivation averages at 3.7 metric tonnes. Although there have been varying percentages of damage reported from across the country, we will only be able to take an exact assessment after the harvest takes place. The season will end by the end of January and the assessment will be completed in the month of February."
He noted that the extent of damage has not greatly changed since last week; 30% in the Ampara District, 1-2% of crop infestations that are expected to affect the yield will reduce by 10% in the North Central Province, Uva Province yield loss estimated to reduce by 15%, North Western Province yield loss estimated to reduce by 25%, and in the Matale District of the Central Province, although there were FAW sightings, a considerable amount of damage was not caused.