The Sunday Mail
Online Reporter
Government is ready to deal with any possible quelea bird outbreak, as early winter wheat has reached flowering stage.
This was said by acting director of Migratory Pests and Biosecurity Control Department, Mr Shingirai Nyamutukwa, while addressing journalists in Harare.
Quelea is a small passerine bird of the weaver family Ploceidae, native to Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Red-billed quelea is the most damaging pest of wheat, sorghum and millet in Zimbabwe.
“We are encouraging farmers to report any quelea birds roost, so that we can move on and destroy them.
“We have had reports from some provinces of where these roosts are, so we have created a command centre for farmers to report as soon as they discover any such roost, said Mr Nyamutukwa.
Quelea birds are a threat to summer subsistence small grains and commercial winter cereal crop.
The Migratory Pests and Biosecurity Control Department in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has already embarked on surveillance operations to detect quelea bird breeding grounds.
Each tiny bird can feed on 4 grams of wheat per day and a million birds can result in losses exceeding 40 000 tonnes.
With the final wheat crop assessment showing that 78 000 hectares have been put under the cereal crop, farmers are now expected to guard against the menacing quelea birds to ensure maximum yields.
