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A total of 706 acres of maize and rice farms in the Asante-Akim South District have come under invasion by the fall army worms.

Dr. David Anambam, the District Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), who confirmed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said about 95 per cent of the affected farms had been cultivated with maize and the remaining five per cent, rice.

He complained about inadequate chemicals to fight the worms and contain the spread of invasion.

He indicated that chemicals supplied to the district could only spray 162 acres of farms, leaving a shortfall of about 544 acres.

Dr. Anambam spoke of the urgent need to send more of the chemicals to the area to save the crops from being ravaged, something that could have serious implications for food security.

He stated that the extension officers were on the field, working hard to educate and help farmers to correctly apply the chemicals to neutralize the worms.

The District MOFA Director, touched on the ‘planting for food and jobs’ programme, and said in excess of 1,200 farmers had been registered to participate in the programme.

He announced that, they had taken delivery of 186 bags of maize, 60 bags of rice and 3000 bags of fertilizer, alongside tomato and pepper seeds, for distribution to the farmers.

Dr. Anambam noted that in spite of the huge subsidies on the inputs, many of the farmers were finding it difficult to pay for these.

He said this had been the only challenge – a barrier to participation in the programme by otherwise many a farmer eager to be part of the programme.