LILONGWE, Jan 12 - Malawi, which was hit by a
crippling drought last year, has become the third southern
African nation to report an outbreak of armyworms, a voracious
pest that devours maize and other crops.
"We have a reported invasion this week but we are confident
in dealing with this because we have pesticides," Malawi's
Minister of Agriculture George Chaponda told Reuters late
Wednesday.
"We have been able to deal with such issues in the past."
The current outbreak is around Zomba, the former colonial
capital in southern Malawi. A year ago, Malawi successfully
contained an armyworm invasion that affected seven districts
across the country.
The armyworms are caterpillars that "march" across the
landscape in large groups feasting on young maize plants, wiping
out entire fields.
Malawi's maize crop, the staple grain for the impoverished,
land-locked nation, was devastated last year by an El
Nino-triggered drought.
Around 6.5 million Malawians, over a third of the
population, are dependent on food aid until this year's harvest
in March, according to the United Nations' World Food Programme.
(Reporting by Mabvuto Banda; Writing by Ed Stoddard; Editing by
Randy Fabi)