Muguka farmers turn to tomatoes due to pests

Grub worms have invaded Peter Chomba’s muguka farm. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

Khat (muguka) farmers in Kirinyaga County are decrying losses after their farms were invaded by grub worms.

The farmers are now considering turning to tomato farming as an alternative source of income after the white-coloured pests found in the soil, invaded their farms.

The grubs are giant larvae that attack the plant roots, leaving them to dry up and die. 

This has left many farmers worried that the worms will wipe out thousands of acres of their crop if urgent measures are not taken.

Muguka, the fast-moving stimulant, is preferred for its affordability compared to Miraa which is grown in Northern Meru.

Mugambaciura, Kanjinji, Murinduko and Ngucui are some of the villages where Muguka is grown on a large scale.

Peter Chomba, a farmer, from Mugambaciura, said the grub worms first appeared on their farms, two years ago and had destroyed most crops.

“I have had to uproot the crop and plant tomatoes but it is a loss because I earn more from Muguka than I do with tomatoes,” he said.

Chomba noted that the pests were spreading throughout the farm despite his best efforts to protect his produce.

“I have dug trenches and tried different pesticides to kill the worms. But nothing works,” he said.

Ann Wawira, another farmer, said her efforts to destroy the grub worms were futile and that the tomato business was not lucrative.

“While I can harvest Muguka every day, and earn a living, tomatoes are not as lucrative because it takes three months to harvest,” she said, adding that Muguka had helped her educate her family, and pay for other expenses.

“For every two kilos of Muguka I can earn Sh600, and I used to harvest at least 60kgs per week which translates to Sh36,000 weekly. This is enough to sustain my family during the month,” Wawira said.

Maina said that most farmers who have been using manure on their farms are the most affected.

“The most affected crops are where farmers have been using manure, transporting the larvae right from the cowsheds to the farm,” said Maina.

Mercy Kamau, a farmer in Mugambaciura said, “I’m losing Sh30,000 every week following the pest invasion on my one acre of muguka farm. It is now difficult for me to meet all my financial obligations.”

Farmers said the pesticide used has turned out to be ineffective and called for government intervention. 

“The chemicals we buy from the market are not killing the worms,” said Kamau.

The farmers are now turning to ingenious methods like applying ash to control the worms.

“We are also removing the worms and crushing them. However, the methods are not very effective,” said Wawira.

Agronomist and pest expert, Krisple Mwiti, said the worms damage the leaves and roots of plants depending on the life cycle they are in.

He said the larvae that feed on the roots causing the plant to dry up, and this compromises the quality of the leaves harvested.

“Because the soil is infested, there are few options to address this issue, one of which is the use of highly toxic chemicals that only need at least 150 days depending on the crop and level of infestation,” Mwiti said.

He noted that the farmers can only harvest Muguka after 150-day period to avoid severe effects of the chemicals used.

Farmers can also uproot their crops and leave their soil exposed to direct sunlight so that the pests are killed.

“Such biological methods are not 100 per cent effective and therefore, not a permanent solution to the infestation,” he said.

Agronomist Dr John Wanyaga said such worms are highly destructive and should be contained, adding that there are good chemicals that can be sprayed to get rid of the worms.

“Chemicals used to kill cutworms can also be sprayed on grub worms. Farmers should go for them to save their crop,” he said.