Armyworm Pest Causes Zimbabwe Crop Damage

The invasive Central American fall armyworm, is harder to detect and eradicate than its African counterpart and has a preference for maize, the staple crop in the region.Zimbabwe is fighting an outbreak of fall armyworms that threatens to cause extensive damage to the maize crop that was decimated by drought last year, according to an agriculture ministry official said.The fall armyworm outbreak follows a devastating El Nino-induced drought that scorched much of the region last year, hitting crop output and leaving millions in need of food aid.South Africa’s agriculture minister told local radio on Tuesday that he was convinced pesticides will be able to contain the outbreak of armyworms.