Nueva Ecija onion farmers brace for armyworms

Bongabon, Nueva Ecija — The local government here announced that its onion farmers in the province are bracing for the impact of armyworms as they are now forced to harvest their onions ahead of the season.

According to Mayor Ricardo Padilla, not everyone is affected by the armyworms but they should have precautionary measures before armyworms spread to their farms.

Padilla himself was forced to harvest his onions early despite the onions are not at the proper size for harvesting. The mayor has seven hectares of onion farm lands near Palayan City.

“We need to harvest to ensure that we can still have something to sell,” Padilla said.

Farmer Evie Alipio of Barangay Pesa was affected by the armyworms, citing that most of her onions were ravaged and are not suitable for selling. Her farmland is in Barangay Tugatog.

To recall, Padilla has pushed for the immediate construction of an onion institute to study the pests that plagues onions.

He cited his recent visit to an onion farm in China, saying that the soil and the seedlings are examined before it is utilized.

The ravaging of armyworms is a cycle that is still unanswered.

Recently, the Department of Agriculture provided pesticides for the armyworms but the effectiveness is still questionable.