Fall armyworm infestation is increasing in the country's crop fields, and experts believe a sustainable management system is needed to control it.

Speakers made the remark on Tuesday (19 December) at the closing event of the project "Scaling up the Management of the Fall Armyworm in Africa, Near East and Asia", held at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC). The event was jointly organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

Besides presenting the achievements of the project's programmes, the event, in the presence of stakeholders, urged the finalisation of the National Action Plan drawn up to control fall armyworm and the preparation, through joint effort, of a plan for its control and sustainable management in Bangladesh.

The workshop was chaired by Ashraf Uddin, director of the DAE's Plant Protection Wing. The chief guest was Dr Md Abdus Salam, member director (crops) of BARC. Special guests were Dr Debashis Sarkar, director general of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), and Zohra Khatun, joint secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture. Nur Ahammad Khondaker, FAO assistant representative and officer in charge in Bangladesh, attended as guest of honour.

Under the FAO project, which aimed to build local skills for sustainable fall armyworm management and coordinate ongoing programmes, a National Task Force headed by the executive director of BARC was formed. Awareness of fall armyworm was also raised among about 5,100 farmers through 51 field days.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.