The City Agriculture Office (CAO) alerted farmers in the City of Mati to take extra precautionary measures to stop the spread of the infestation of Fall Army Worm (FAW).

CAO identified 11 barangays affected by the Fall Army Worm through corn sampling per barangay. Among the heavily affected barangays were Danao, Libudon, Dawan, Bobon, Don Enrique Lopez, Sainz, Tamisan, and Badas.

CAO started their monitoring last December 2019 and from there they started to disseminate information to the Barangay Extension Technician for them to be equipped and be aware of what to do.

Among of the interventions by the City Agriculture are biological and synthetic pesticide, light trapping to minimize the adult FAW to lay eggs, and to continue the information dissemination to barangay extension technician.

Romel Avance, agricultural technician, said they are also conducting meetings with the barangay officials to help them in their monitoring and interventions against FAW.

FAW, scientific name spodoptera frugiperda, is an insect that is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.

The first incidence of suspected FAW in the Philippines was reported on June 20, 2019 at Piat, Cagayan.

In the absence of natural control or good management, FAW can cause significant damage to crops. It prefers maize, but can feed on more than 80 additional species of crops, including rice, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, vegetable crops and cotton. (CIO MATI)