Write a letter to the Commissioner for Agriculture informing him of the invasion, by certain pests, of farms in your locality and asking for advice and help in controlling them.
Explanation
3 Kunle Ajayi Street,
Oriko.
Lagos.
5th May. 1989.
The Commissioner,
Ministry of Agriculture.
Lagos State.
Dear Sir,
PEST INVASION OF OUR CROPS
I am writing formally, on behalf of the farmers in Oriko community, to inform you about the invasion of our cocoa farm by pests. Oriko community is in Ojo Local Government area of Lagos State. It is basically an agricultural community with a vast expanse of cocoa farms. Our hope and expectation of bountiful harvest this year has however been dashed by the invasion of rampaging insect pests which attacked our cocoa pods before they were ripe for harvest. In the next few months, we expect that our cocoa trees will be harvested but our expectation has almost been thwarted by this pest menace.
The attack on our cocoa trees was first noticed a month ago with the swarm of black insects on cocoa trees in several clusters. Soon after this, they spread so rapidly to cover both the stems of cocoa trees and the leaves. As farmers, we attacked the pest with gamallin which we know and believe could solve our problem, to no avail. The application of this insecticide seems to aggravate the situation as the pest spread further resulting in devastating attacks on our cocoa trees.
Sir, the situation is getting out of hands as the pests have started inflicting heavy injuries on cocoa pods which, instead of getting ripe are now developing dark patches on their bodies. The pests eat up the leaves of our cocoa trees and other valuable crops voraciously and if an urgent step to curb their rapacious invasion is not taken now, it may spell doom for the farmers and colossal waste to the Ministry of Agriculture which has spent a lot of money to provide tools and insecticides for farmers in the state.
It is obvious that our local efforts at controlling the pest have not achieved much. Therefore, I am using this medium to ask for your advice and urgent intervention to control the menace. The farmers would also need your advice on what pesticides to use in order to forestall future occurrence.
I would be grateful if you could use your good office and the resources at you disposal to rescue us out of our present predicament.
Yours faithfully,
(signature)
Adekunle Adewale.
