News
Sena marches on as defeated farmers look on
The Fall Armyworm, locally known as “Sena” continues to wreak havoc on maize cultivations islandwide. The Sunday Times visited Vadingala in Ampara where the caterpillar is seen eating its way through stems of maize plants destroying entire plantations. The caterpillar even burrows into the kernels. The Agriculture Department has asked farmers not to plant any more maize until further notice.
Farmers lament that they have so far been unable to eradicate the pest, and are fearful that it will also spread to other cultivations. Meanwhile, farmers in Ampara say they fear they have found another caterpillar with many eggs spotted in imported maize seeds that they had purchased. While they are unsure as to whether the caterpillars are also Sena, they point out that this is the first time they have encountered eggs in securely packetted seeds that are distributed to them.
