ACCORDING to Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament Mrs. Valerie Greene-Lowe, the invasion by the acoushi ant is destroying farms in Moruca. Farmers with kitchen gardens watch in horror at the ant eating away at their newly germinating plants as the government has no answers to the problems.
In an effort to protect their food from destruction, Amerindians in the past had used traditional methods. However, with the invasion of the Acoushi ant they are now fighting the battle with chemicals which is very expensive without any subsidies from the government.
Agriculture is pursued by Amerindians in Moruca and other interior locations at several levels, subsistence, as a hobby, and as a commercial venture. Whatever the level, the ultimate goal has always been to maximise the production effort. a
ant, thus every effort by the Ministry of Agriculture must be made to keep out the ants from the areas or specific regions or locations within the country where they do not currently exist. Correct identification by agriculture officers of the problem is the first step in proper and effective ant management. Determining what is causing the problems would point to what treatment.
The focus in acoushi management has invariably been on reducing the population of ants. In this regard, many farmers and agriculture officers aim for eradication, which is generally not possible. The aim should be to manage the ant, keeping it at levels that are not likely to cause economic damage.
Because of the unusual nature of the weather pattern at this time, entomologists are needed at off-station locations. The government, according to reliable sources, has stopped supplying the acoushi ant chemical over the past two years to farmers in Moruca and other interior locations causing the ant population to increase.