Sweetcorn farmers suffer huge losses in Xayaboury

Xayaboury province is anticipating a 30 percent shortfall in sweetcorn supplies to domestic and overseas markets this year after the crop has been invaded by fall armyworms.
The current epidemic of this pest (Spodoptera frugiperda) across the province has resulted in big problems for farmers and authorities, who are trying to control the outbreak.
Director of Xayaboury’s Agriculture and Forestry Department, Mr Somvang Keovilaysak, said 30 percent of 35,000 hectares of maize crops had been destroyed by the caterpillars. 

According to the initial harvest plan drawn up by provincial authorities, the maize yield was set at 190,000 tonnes, but this now appears impossible to achieve and the figure is expected to be reduced by almost 25,000 tonnes.
Some farmers have lost a lot of money as a result of the devastating outbreak, the first such event recorded in the province.
A farmer in Saenphon village in Paklai district, where the outbreak was first detected on May 20, said he usually grows sweetcorn on two hectares but almost all of his crop was destroyed by the caterpillars and he had lost the money he invested.
Farmers in Xayaboury export 70 percent of their produce to China, Thailand and Vietnam while the rest is supplied to domestic markets.
Sweetcorn is a commercial crop and brings in extra income for farmers but the current crop-growing season has brought only bad luck. Last year, they sold their sweetcorn for more than 1,600 kip per kilo.
Mr Somvang said this was the first time farmers had been affected by an invasion of the insects, which are notoriously difficult to control.
The outbreak began in seven villages of Paklai district and destroyed crops on more than 2,700 hectares. Then the caterpillars rapidly spread to all 11 districts in the province where sweetcorn is grown.
According to the department’s records, as of July 10, more than 15,340 hectares in 168 villages with 7,058 families had been impacted by the infestation. Almost 7,000 hectares of the affected area were reported to be severely damaged.
The caterpillars also invaded upland rice fields covering 96 hectares in 10 villages of Xayxathan district, with 241 families affected. Xayaboury has set up a provincial committee to work with district and village authorities to control the pest invasion. More than 30 technical staff have been assigned to districts.
The outbreak is now weakening because control measures have been implemented, an official said
“Another reason is that sweetcorn crops are still growing. Mostly, the caterpillars destroy only young plants that are one to two months old,” he added.
After the outbreak, state organisations at the provincial and central levels, in cooperation with farmers, sought to put in place measures to control the situation.
The fall armyworms also found their way to other parts of the country, such as Oudomxay province (seven districts), Huaphan (five districts) Xieng Khuang (seven districts) Luang Prabang (one district), Vientiane province (three districts), Vientiane (three districts) Borikhamxay (one district), and Savannakhet (one district), according to information provided by a senior official from Xayaboury’s Agriculture and Forestry Department. The total impacted area in the nine provinces is more than 92,000 hectares. More than 27,300 hectares account for 33 percent of the worst affected sweetcorn fields. Oudomxay, Xayaboury and Xieng Khuang provinces suffered the most from the outbreak.
This year, the fall armyworm was also found in 50 provinces of Thailand, where six provinces reported severe outbreaks. Cambodia also reported an outbreak in June and caterpillars destroyed more than 10,000 hectares of sweetcorn in four provinces of Cambodia.
This was a new type of fall armyworm that has never been identified before in Cambodia, according to a report on the Khmer Times website dated June 15.
A total of 11,142 hectares of sweetcorn were destroyed in the four provinces, including 2,544 hectares in Pailin, 3,033 hectares in Battambang, 4,715 hectares in Banteay Meanchey, and 850 hectares in Tbong Khmum.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update July 25, 2019)