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More Zambian maize farms affected by army worms

Xinhua, January 7, 2017 Adjust font size:

The area of maize fields affected by army worms in Zambia has surpassed 100,000 hectares, the country's disaster management agency said Friday.

The Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) said the number of affected maize fields has increased from 89,000 to over 107,000 hectares.

Patrick Kangwa, DMMU national coordinator, told state broadcaster Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation that over 16,000 liters of pesticides have been dispatched to the affected areas to contain the pests, expressing optimism that the pesticides were enough to deal with the outbreak.

Army worms have broken out in six of Zambia's ten provinces affecting large swathes of maize fields, with the government embarking on an emergency spraying operation for fear of a worsening food crisis.

On Thursday, Zambian President Edgar Lungu visited affected fields on the outskirts of Kitwe city in the Copperbelt Province and promised that the government was ready to wipe out the pests to avoid importation of maize. Endit