LUSAKA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Armyworms, blamed for the decimation of maize crops in the 2016/2017 season, have broken out in Zambia, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Minister of Agriculture Dora Siliya said the armyworms have been detected in Chilanga district, about 25 kilometers south of Lusaka, the country's capital.
She said the outbreak was a wake-up call to farmers to be wary of the crop-munching pests.
Earlier this month, Minister of Communications and Transport Brian Mushimba, who is in charge of the department of meteorology, said the country expects another outbreak of armyworms in the 2017/2018 farming season but noted that the government was working round the clock to fight the pests.
The crop-munching pests ravaged the southern African region during the previous farming season and countries affected included Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and South Africa.
Zambia however went on to produce a bumper harvest of maize of 3.6 million tonnes, up from 2.8 million tonnes the previous season.
