Farmers in Waqdari settlement, 4 km south of Lasanod town, say agricultural production has severely declined due to plagues of insects and crop diseases.
Local farmers told Radio Ergo that pests like aphids and diseases had been destroying their crops of vegetables and fruits for several years.
Farhiya Ibrahim, a farmer, said she had been forced to give up planting after an unknown disease continually damaged her crops over a period of seven years.
“We depend on farming for living, but now we have stopped because every now and then our crops are damaged by plant diseases which we don’t know how to deal with,” said Farhiya, who is a mother of six children.
“We don’t have the expertise to deal with the disease nor to identify what it is. We have generators, water and good farming land, but we are fed up dealing with this disease! There are many farmers who have abandoned planting because of it,” she added.
Khadija Mohamud, another farmer, is facing similar problems and is now planning to sell her piece of land. She said despite the high investment she makes in the farm, her return is too little.
Mohamed Abdullahi, also a farmer, called on agricultural experts to help them overcome the problems.
“We have stopped growing tomatoes and lemons, which we used to depend on, due to the deadly plant disease. Tomato plants dry up and the flowers fall off without making fruits. We don’t know if the problem arises from the farmland or the seeds we used for planting in the first place,” he complained.
Local farmers say they do not have access to any pesticides to protect their crops.
