Pests ravage Bani ‘munggo’ farms
MUNGGO farmers in Bani town were anxious about their profits, as four out of 15 hectares of munggo farms in this town were ravaged by pests.
Jeffrey Pamo, Bani municipal agriculturist, said the pests, powdery mildew and powdery worms, were responsible for the decay.
“The usual 15 sacks of munggo per 15000 square meters (1.5 hectares) have now gone down to 10 because of the pests”, he said.
He attributed the pests’ attack to the rains experienced in the latter part of 2019 that prompted pests to go out of their shelter and consume the vegetation.
Aside from munggo, some vegetable plantations, such as tomatoes and eggplants were also caught in the insects’ rampage.
Despite the losses of still undetermined amount, Pamo said that the damage has already been contained.
“We have controlled the pests through application of pesticide over surviving vegetation. So far, the damage has been contained”, he added.
Pamo advised the farmers to maintain cleanliness around the farms, especially in small earthen dikes surrounding the vegetation.
Meanwhile, the P65 farm gate price of munggo per kilo rose to P70 due to the limited harvest in the local market.
Farmers are optimistic that they can recover in the next cropping season. (Ahikam Pasion)
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