Africa is at high risk of another drought following the invasion of the region by crop diseases and pests from America, Minister of Agriculture Mechanization and Irrigation Development Joseph Made has said.
In his speech read by permanent secretary in the ministry, Ringson Chitsiko, Made said that these trans boundary animal pests are likely to bring hunger to the region again after the 2016 induced El-Nino drought droughts which has killed many including livestock.
“2016 and 2017 is facing a threat of trans boundary animal pests which avoiding the region from recovering from the induced ElNino droughts which recently attacked the region,” he said, adding that that although rains have poured favorably, drought might come again due to animal pests attack.
This emerged at a four day Southern and Eastern Africa Region Technical meeting on emerging high impact trans boundary crop pests and animal diseases which is being held in the country.
The ElNino droughts left affected many in the Southern region, including Zimbabwe which caused it to extend its begging bowl to donors from the Western countries.
Minister Made however urged the participants of the meeting to work together and come up with valuable strategic ideas on how to get rid of the crop pests and animal diseases.
He also thanked Food and Agriculture Organization for setting up such a platform in order for the countries to discuss on what to do with the crop pests.
Speaking on that same event, Moetapele Letshwenyo from the World Organization Animal Health said they are ready to work together and find strategies to attack these agricultural threats.
“We are ready to work together with any participant so as to attack these threats to our crops,” said Lesthwenyo.
However, FAO sub-regional coordinator in Southern Africa David Phiri said they are not expecting to eradicate the diseases but however working on how to solve the situation.
