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Mellisa Mutasa Herald Reporter
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has begun working with 350 000 Zimbabwean farmers to tackle the fall armyworm, has said the pest has the potential to cost local farmers between $76 million and $191 million if left unchecked.

The agency said research by the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) – a UK-based non-profit inter-governmental organisation – showed that the invasive pest, which was confirmed in Africa in 2016, had the potential to cause extensive damage on the maize crop. USAID and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) are working on helping small-scale farmers combat the spread of the crop pest through producing a hands-on fact sheet.

In a recent statement, USAID said it spent more than $3 billion in the past three decades as part of its targeted interventions in the local agricultural sector. “Fall armyworm feeds on 80 different crop species, including maize, a staple food consumed by over 300 million African smallholder farm families,” said USAID.

“The crop pest has since been found in over 30 African countries, including Zimbabwe, posing a significant threat to food security, income, and livelihoods. For more than 30 years, the American people, through USAID, have contributed over $3 billion in assistance to Zimbabwe to increase food security, support economic resilience, improve health systems and services, and promote a more democratic system of governance.”

Zimbabwe mission director of USAID Mr Stephanie Funk said measures should be taken to stop the spread of the fall armyworm. “The United States is partnering with 350 000 Zimbabwean farmers and other local experts to stop the spread of this dangerous pest,” he said.

“This is an important part of USAID’s ongoing efforts to improve food security in Zimbabwe by strengthening the resilience and productivity of small-scale farmers.”