Cost of damage to the agriculture sector of the spread of fall armyworm (FAW) affecting corn crops in the country is now at P57.03 million, according to latest data from the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center.
The DA attached agency in its advisory as of 12 noon of August 16, said damage from the pest infestation is equivalent to 3,273 hectares (ha) of areas tended by 5,279 farmers in the provinces of Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Iloilo and Negros Occidental.
The total amount is also equivalent to a total volume loss of 734 metric tons (MT).
The DA said of the total affected areas, 2,820 ha or 87.09 percent has a chance of recovery and only 418 ha or 12.91 percent has no chance for recovery.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAW can cause significant damage to crops in the absence of natural control as the insect prefers corn but can feed on more than 80 additional species of crops, including rice, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, vegetable crops and cotton.
The DA said actions that were made to control the spread of FAW include a joint monitoring and evaluation activities among its regional field offices in the regions of Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, Caraga, Calabarzon and Mimaropa together with local government units.
The parties also established a comprehensive integrated pest management strategy focused on sustainable pest control methods.
Validation and assessment of crop-infested areas are ongoing to identify potential threats and development of incidence maps.
