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Zambia gov't confirms pests outbreak in maize fields

Xinhua, December 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Zambia's Ministry of Agriculture on Thursday confirmed an outbreak of pests attacking maize fields in various parts of the country and expressed fears that this could affect output if not tackled.

Julius Shawa, permanent secretary at the ministry, said army worms have invaded nine districts in Copperbelt Province while outbreak of other pests have been reported in four other provinces.

The official was speaking in an interview with the National Agricultural Information Services (NAIS), a communication wing of the agriculture ministry.

Over 2,000 hectares of maize fields involving 3,000 households have been attacked in Copperbelt Province, Shawa said, adding that this could result in huge losses if the pests are not controlled.

The farmers have been urged to control the pests by spraying pesticides in their maize fields.

Zambia is among the few countries in southern Africa with surplus maize following poor rains in the 2015/2016 season and has been exporting maize to neighboring countries as food aid. Endit