Army Worms Invade Bong County Again, Destroying Crops as Farmers Cry for Help

ZOTA DISTRICT, Bong County – Residents and farmers of several towns and Villages in Bong County; most especially Zota District are battling another army worms’ invasion.

The distressed farmers, addressing Journalists over the weekend, said it is so disheartening to see their crops being destroyed by the dreadful creatures as they watch helplessly.

They lamented that their farms and villages are being overrun by the army worms and expressed fear that they would face severe hardship if nothing is done stop the worms from destroying their crops and interrupting their farming activities.

The farmers used the medium to call on the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Disaster Management Agency to dispatch a team with spraying cans and insect killers to spray out the worms from their farms and communities.

They also fear the risk of being displaced as the warms continue to invade their dwelling places on a daily basis.

Army worms are no strangers to Bong, mainly in Zota District. The last attack was in 2020 when farmers in the area experienced a tough year as the fall armyworms strike their crops.

In that year, the pests destroyed more than 2,000 hectares of crops in the district.

Four years earlier in 2016, thousands of army worms invaded towns and villages in Zota that led to the destruction of crops, contamination of drinking water and fleeing of residents.

Also, back in 2009, the district was hit hard by the worms, prompting the then President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to make an urgent visit to the area to support the government’s swift intervention.

Albert M. Fania