Farmers in Garash, Hiran and Lebow villages, some 25 km north of Beletweyne, say their crops have largely been destroyed by insects.
One of the affected farmers, Omar Ibrahim Farah, told Radio Ergo that his harvest had suffered from the combined effects of plagues of greenfly (aphids) and delayed rains.
He said several farmers harvested nothing this season as the greenfly destroyed some plants while the rest dried up.
Mukhtar Hassan Abdi, another farmer, said they needed better pest control to curb future hunger and food insecurity.
Abukar Da’ud Gure, chairman of Hiran village, warned that more than 500 families in the area would be short of food if the crop destruction continued.
“People learnt a lesson from the 2011 drought that hit the country, so they started storing some of the harvested crops…but that is not enough, because both people and animals need food, and the harvest is not adequate,” he said.
Sorghum is the staple planted by farmers in these villages.
