Traditional leaders refuse to have fields sprayed to control the armyworm

TRADITIONAL leaders in some parts of Matabeleland South Province refuse to have their fields sprayed to control the armyworm, an official said yesterday.

In an interview, the Matabeleland South Provincial Agronomist Mr Innocent Nyathi said the Department of Agritex was facing resistance from some traditional leaders who were against the spraying of chemicals to control the armyworm in Bulilima district.

He said these traditional leaders indicated they would consult ancestral spirits on the way forward.

"We have a challenge in Bulilima as some of the traditional leaders are refusing to have their fields sprayed saying that the best solution was to consult the ancestral spirits either at the Njelele shrine in Matobo District or to go Manyangwa in Bulilima," he said.

Mr Nyathi said there was urgent need to control the armyworm which was threatening crops in many parts of the province.

"We need to educate these traditional leaders so that they appreciate the importance of spraying," he said.

The armyworm menace is worsening in most parts of Matabeleland South province as Matobo, Gwanda, Bulilima, Mangwe and Insiza have been invaded by the armyworm.

The armyworm has also been reported in Matabeleland North, the Midlands and Manicaland provinces.