By Larry Njungu –
EASTERN Province is likely to experience a low crop yield this year due to the prolonged dry spell and army worm attacks.
This came to light recently when a team from the Zambia Integrated Forest Landscape Project (ZIFLP) paid a courtesy call on Eastern Province agriculture coordinator Roy Lumamba.
Mr Lumamba told the ZIFLP team that except for some few days, the province has had no rain in January.
He said that even though there were signs that rain would resume, the damage caused so far may be irreversible.
“The stress that the crops in the province have suffered as a result of no rains is huge.  Even if the rains were to come back most fields may not recover,” Mr Lumamba said.
“As if the dry spell is not enough, some fields are under attack from pest infestations such as fall army worms and the stalk borer.”
Mr Lumamba said the most affected districts in the province were Katete and Vubwi.
A report given to the ZIFLP team by provincial agriculture office on the status of crops in the province has revealed that in Katete crops in most fields are wilting and drying up such that even if the rainfall were to normalise, most of the crop may not recover.
“The status of other crops such as groundnuts, soybean and sunflower is not very different,” the report continues.
The dry spell that has affected Katete District is also providing an impetus for pests such as army worms and black maize beetles to survive and thrive on the already impoverished crop.
The report states that, “given the prevailing weather and agricultural conditions, it is anticipated that a considerable reduction in yields of most crops, including maize, will be observed across all districts in the province. The yield loss will even become worse if the situation prolongs.”
The devastation that the dry spell has had on crop is not different in Vubwi District.
Senior agriculture specialist at the provincial agriculture office John Cheelo said that fields in Vubwi were dry and that crops were wilting in some areas.
As for Chipata District, the prolonged dry spell has lasted for more than three weeks and it is negatively affecting most of the crops, especially maize and tobacco. Areas such as Chiparamba, Chankhaze, Chanje and those in the eastern blocks are the most hit.
The ZIFLP is an initiative of the Zambian Government with support from the World Bank whose aim, among others, is to mitigate the hardships being experienced by rural communities.