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Maize cultivation in Moneragala ruined by ‘Sena’ caterpillar
View(s):The crop-destroying “Sena” caterpillar has been found in pods of maize being sold at temporary street-side stalls along the Chilaw-Colombo main road.
The 'Sena' caterpillar. Pix by Jude Samantha and Sumanasiri Gunathilake
The caterpillar was discovered by officers of the Agriculture and Agrarian Service who conducted inspections of street-side stalls in the Mahawewa area. Officers found that some husks contained fully grown caterpillars while others contained larvae.
According to officials, the Mahawewa-Madampe area is home to the country’s second largest, single stretch of paddy fields covering an area of 999 acres. If the caterpillar was to find its way to this area, officials warned, the results could be catastrophic.
In an effort to prevent the spread of the caterpillar menace, officials said sellers were being instructed to burn all maize husks that were discarded when cooking the maize. Legal action will be taken against those sellers who ignore these instructions, the officials added.
Meanwhile, in the Monaragala District, awareness campaigns conducted by the Agriculture Department’s field officers ensured that damage caused by the ‘Sena’ caterpillar to maize cultivation in the 2018/2019 Maha season was minimal.
J. G. Sumanaratne, Monaragala District Agriculture Director, said his field officers had visited cultivators to make them aware of the danger posed by the ‘Sena’ caterpillar. This had made it possible he claimed, to destroy the caterpillar and to ensure harm caused by it in the district was kept at a minimum.
Despite these afforts, maize cultivations in the Agrarian Services of Athimale, Siyambalanduwa, Okkampitiya, Madulla and Monaragala areas had been adversely affected by the caterpillar.
Mr. Sumanaratne said action would be taken to compensate farmers once an assessment of the damage was completed.