Alert on Giant African Snail infestation in Alappuzha district

ALAPPUZHA The Kerala Centre for Pest Management (KCPM) under the Agriculture department has issued an alert over Giant African Snail infestation in Alappuzha.

Officials said here on Wednesday that with the onset of the monsoon, the widespread presence of African Snail has been observed in various parts of the district. The KCPM has urged both farmers and the public to remain vigilant against the pest, which damages crops. Since the secretions of African snails might contain parasites capable of causing diseases in humans, it is essential to handle and control them with extreme caution. “Effective eradication is possible only through coordinated, community-based control measures,” the KCPM said in a statement.

Given that the nematodes found in the secretions of African snails have the potential to cause encephalitis in humans, the KCPM emphasised that large-scale awareness campaigns and control measures should be launched under local self-government institutions, the Agriculture and Health departments, and other relevant agencies.

African snails attack a variety of agricultural crops, including banana, tuber crops, ginger, turmeric, papaya, citrus fruits, and leafy vegetables, causing significant crop damage. They cause the most destruction to banana leaves. According to officials, the snails have a very high reproductive capacity.

“Both male and female reproductive organs are present in a single individual. On average, one snail can lay up to 900 eggs, of which about 90% will hatch. Under favourable conditions, they can live for seven to ten years, during which their population multiplies rapidly,” the statement added.