Agriculture
Quelea Bird Swarms Destroy Over 4,000 Hectares of Crops in Amhara Region
The Reporter (Amharic) · 3 hours ago · Read the Full Story on The Reporter (Amharic)
AI SUMMARY
A massive outbreak of Quelea birds in the Amhara region's Habru district has destroyed over 4,000 hectares of sorghum crops and impacted dozens of kebeles.
- A Quelea bird infestation in Habru district, North Wollo Zone, has destroyed over 4,000 hectares of sorghum crops.
- The outbreak affects 36 out of the 37 kebeles in the district, destroying about 38 percent of the total sorghum planted.
- Seventeen kebeles, including Girana, Mehal Amba, Libso, Jarota, and Habru Ligo, have suffered the most severe damage.
- Aerial chemical spraying based on GPS tracking of nighttime roosts was conducted three times, but proved insufficient due to the birds fragmenting and moving locations.
- Farmers have been unable to deter the birds using traditional methods because the flocks are dense and do not disperse easily upon landing.
- The birds are also causing damage by uprooting teff and grass seeds to build nests.
- Twenty kebeles in the district are experiencing El Niño impacts, leading to germination failures in teff, fodder and drinking water shortages, and water rationing.
- Authorities are attempting to help farmers whose crops were destroyed switch to irrigation-based agriculture.
- Similar Quelea bird outbreaks have been reported in eight districts of the North Shewa Zone, where aerial spraying is underway to prevent major crop losses.
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